On Wednesday, former U.S. President Donald Trump held a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort for buyers of his “Mugshot Edition” NFT collection. There, buyers were set to receive a physical Donald Trump trading card and a piece of the suit the former President wore during his arrest in Georgia for racketeering charges.
According to various videos circulating on X, Mr. Trump, the Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential election, made a few statements at the event, specifically about the crypto industry.
He remarked that he had “made NFTs hot again” and said that “if you are in favor of crypto” you better vote for him. Mr. Trump added that President Joe Biden “wouldn’t know what crypto was” and that the Democrats are very much against it.
To gain access to the event, buyers had to purchase at least 47 Mugshot Edition NFTs, which were priced at $99 apiece ($4,653 for the minimum 47). Those who bought 100 or more were invited to a cocktail reception before the dinner where they were set to receive not just a physical card and part of the suit, but part of the tie Mr. Trump wore when arrested.
The 2024 presidential candidate has come under fire recently, with the Democrat National Committee calling him a “con artist,” in part because he has rolled out a line of merchandise in line with the branding that he is a conservative American superhero.
The merch includes a Bible pegged at $59.99, ‘Never Surrender’ high-top sneakers for $399, and ‘Victory47’ cologne for $99. The Mugshot Edition is Mr. Trump’s third NFT collection. In 2022, he declared in a finance report that he had received between $100,001 and $1 million for the first two NFT collections he sold.
Wednesdays are days off in the trial of Mr. Trump, who is currently battling charges that he falsified business records related to the hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. He is currently neck-and-neck in the polls with President Biden for the 2024 presidential election.
Trumps Take to Web3
Although it may seem odd that a U.S. politician and their spouse are involving themselves in Web3, the Trumps are not your average former First Family. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve covered many stories involving them participating in Web3. Here are some of the headlines.
- Melania Trump Unveils Mother’s Day NFT Collection
- Trump Gifts Limited Ordinals To People Who Purchase 100 NFTs
- Donald Trump Now On Third NFT Release With ‘Mugshot Edition’
- Trump Flexes Mug Shot On X, NFTs Soar in Value
- Melania Trump Unveils Independence Day NFTs on Solana
- Donald Trump Doubles Down on ‘Trading Cards’ NFTs
- Donald Trump Launches 2nd NFT Set: ‘Win Trump Prizes’
As you can see, Mr. Trump and his wife, former First Lady Melania, have seemingly caught the Web3 bug, and, like a lot of celebrities, are using the technology to connect directly with their fans.
The Mar-a-Lago event foreshadows another development in U.S. politics: the turning of crypto into a partisan issue, with the Republicans for and the Democrats against. Some believe that the topic of crypto could play a major role in the election, with the next four years of crypto progress at stake.