Yesterday, Donald Trump announced the launch of his fourth non-fungible token collection called “America First Edition.” The collection features the former president in various poses, dancing, and holding graphically rendered bitcoins. There are 360,000 available, with each card costing $99.
“By popular demand, I’m doing a new series of Trump digital trading cards,” Trump said in the video announcement. “Y’all know what they are. We’ve had a lot of fun with them.”
Like with previous Trump digital collectible sets, buyers have the opportunity to receive IRL rewards for purchasing a set number of cards. For instance, buyers of 15 cards will receive three pairs of sneakers (two ‘Never Surrender’ gold sneakers and one pair of platinum high-tops) and a piece of the suit Trump wore during his debate with President Joe Biden.
But, the buyers of 75 or 250 cards could receive the most benefits. Up for grabs in these two categories are tickets to a gala dinner at Trump’s country club in Jupiter, Florida, and physical versions of the digital trading cards. Those who buy 250 cards in one transaction may be invited to a cocktail party before the gala dinner, although the number of invites to this party is limited to 50.
The website of this latest collection notes in its disclaimer text that:
- These Trump digital collectibles cannot be transferred until January 31, 2025
- The profits will not go to the Republican candidate’s campaign
- The cards are not for investment purposes
“You know, they call me ‘The Crypto President,'” Trump said. “I don’t know if that’s true or not, but a lot of people are saying that so don’t miss out….Go now and collect your piece of American history. Let’s have fun together and enjoy my Trump cards. We’re going to have a lot of fun. We’re going to be talking about it for a long time.”
Trump Turns Crypto Into U.S. Wedge Issue
Although Trump once referred to bitcoin as a scam and a threat to the hegemony of the U.S. dollar, this year he has turned a corner, becoming a presidential candidate that has promised a more open policy towards crypto in the Land of the Free. The headlines in the past few months speak for themselves:
- Trump Holds Over $1M in ETH: Financial Disclosure Report
- Trump Bitcoin Sneakers Sell Out in Minutes, Pop on eBay
- Donald Trump to Give Keynote at Bitcoin 2024 Conference in Nashville
To Web3 denizens, this turnabout may come as no surprise. As early as 2022, the former president and his family have been involved in crypto, launching non-fungible token collections and capitalizing on a space that has been hoping for a political figure that has their backs. Even Melania, Trump’s wife, has participated:
- Melania Trump Unveils Mother’s Day NFT Collection
- Melania Trump Unveils Independence Day NFTs on Solana
Then there are Trump’s sons. In the past month, Donald Trump Jr. teased a big announcement and the launch of something “huge” in crypto. That turned out to be a decentralized finance exchange. Although details are scant, he has launched a Telegram group promoting the exchange. The group had around 50,000 members as of yesterday.
The courting of the crypto vote has turned Web3 into a wedge issue in American politics. Notably, Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris has not publicly stated her views on crypto, and the DNC left the oft-maligned industry off its platform for the 2024 election.
Time will tell what comes of all of this. But it certainly is interesting, and provides for some decent entertainment with the next president of the United States to be elected in mere months.