The digital trading cards depicting former US President Donald Trump dressed as a superhero, astronaut, and Nascar driver are already sold out, according to the company selling them.
Late on Thursday,
Mr. Trump advertised the "limited edition cards," saying they would
"make a fantastic Christmas present."
The cards cost $99
each and were available in 45,000 units, according to Open Sea, a company that
records these kinds of offers.
Republicans among
others criticized and made fun of the news.
Right-wing media
pundit Steve Bannon, a former key strategist for Mr. Trump, stated on his
podcast on the sale, "I can't do this anymore."
He said,
"Everyone involved in the project deserves to be fired now.
After announcing
this week that he will make a "big announcement," Mr. Trump, who
started his third campaign for the White House last month, sparked rumours.
A probable running
partner for his presidential campaign was anticipated by certain observers.
Instead, the
billionaire who routinely licensed his name even before he was elected
president posted an advertisement for the cards on his social media channel,
Truth Social.
The video showed an
animated representation of the former president in front of Trump Tower in New
York, ripping away his shirt to reveal a superhero suit with the letter T
imprinted on it while lasers shoot out of his eyes.
The non-fungible
tokens (NFTs), according to Mr. Trump, are "very much like a baseball
card, but hopefully far more entertaining," as he stated later on Truth Social.
Although they lack
a physical form of their own, "one-of-a-kind" assets in the digital
world may be purchased and sold like any other item of property.
They can be
compared to ownership certificates for tangible or digital things.
NFTs are marketed as
the digital equivalent of collectibles, but detractors have cautioned that the
sector, which sprang out of the larger crypto currency industry, is fraught
with dangers. This year, activity in the area has decreased coupled with a
decline in the value of crypto currencies.
This year, a study
for the US Congress revealed that NFT sales have been the target of various
frauds and have been used to gather credit card and other financial
information.
Mocked move
Mr. Trump regularly
sends out fundraising requests, one of which was attached to holiday wrapping
paper on Friday. He has raised millions of dollars since his loss in the 2020
presidential race.
Some people on
social media conjectured that the sale of NFTs was done to assist pay for the
legal disputes he is involved in.
The NFTs website
states that the money would not be used for his presidential campaign.
The statement read,
"These Digital Trading Cards are not political and have no connection to
any political campaign."
The statement
continued, "Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Digital LLC, or
any of its respective principals or affiliates, are not owners, managers, or
controllers of NFT INT LLC.
The Trump family
has previously looked at NFT sales. Bloomberg revealed in February that a wallet
associated with the image's author had bought a piece of art depicting Melania
Trump that had sold for around $180,000 at the time.
The purchase was
"facilitated on behalf of a third party buyer," Ms. Trump stated at
the time.