NEW YORK — The first NFT collection from former President Donald Trump sold out less than a day after going on sale, giving its creators a nearly $4.5 million windfall.
The businessman-turned-politician rolled out the "Trump digital trading cards" on Thursday in a widely hyped announcement. The video opens with an animated image of Trump dressed in a superhero outfit shooting laser beams out of his eyes. The cartoonish graphic is followed by the real Trump.
"This is Donald Trump, hopefully your favorite president of all time, better than Lincoln, better than Washington," Trump, who recently declared himself a candidate for president in 2024, says in the video.
Buyers of the Trump-themed non-fungible tokens gain ownership of a specific digital copy of the image. However, as with most digital art, the images are easily copied and can be displayed by anyone, not just the NFT's purchaser.
The $99 NFTs, which Trump describes as "pertaining to my life and career," digitally represent the former president as an astronaut, race car driver, cowboy and superhero. Some designs are unique, while others exist in editions of up to 20, according to collectTrumpCards.com, the website listing the tokens.
"Each card comes with an automatic chance to win amazing prizes like dinner with me," the former president says in the promotional video, adding, "I don't know if that's an amazing prize, but it's what we have."
Other prizes on offer include a phone call or Zoom call with Trump, golf outing, and a cocktail hour at Mar-a-Lago and dinner in Miami, according to CollectTrumpCards.com. Buying at least 45 NFTs also entitles the holder to a "guaranteed ticket to attend the Gala Dinner with Trump in South Florida," the site said.
The 45,000 NFTs had sold out by Friday morning, according to the site. At $99 apiece, the proceeds come to $4.46 million. The cards are now being traded on OpenSea, an NFT marketplace, for prices starting at $1,200.The collectibles' creator, artist Clark Mitchell, will receive 10% of any subsequent sale.
It's not clear whether the former president will benefit financially from the sale. The cards are owned by a company called NFT INT LLC, whose mailing address traces to a UPS store in Park City, Utah.
CollectTrumpCards.com notes that the NFTs aren't connected to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
"These Digital Trading Cards are not political and have nothing to do with any political campaign. NFT INT LLC is not owned, managed or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Digital LLC or any of their respective principals or affiliates," according to the site.
The NFT collection took many by surprise, and was derided even by some Trump supporters."I can't do this anymore," former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said on his show, "The War Room." The aides and public-relations people who encouraged the NFT collection "ought to be fired today," he said.
Anthime Gionet, a far-right personality known as "Baked Alaska" and who is facing sentencing for his role in the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, tweeted, "i can't believe i'm going to jail for an nft salesman."
"i wanted to make america great again but all i got was this sh---- nft," he said in another tweet. Gionet was banned from Twitter five years ago over "hateful conduct" but recently had his account reinstated.