Donald Trump unveiled a collection of non-fungible tokens that feature him in guises such as a superhero, astronaut and racer, among others. Critics described it as "incredibly dumb", but according to the website promoting them, they sold out quickly after being launched on Thursday, December 15.
Each of the digital trading cards was sold for $99 each, giving owners a chance to win prizes like attending a dinner hosted by the former US president, meeting him at his luxe Mar-a-Lago resort or receiving memorabilia signed by him.
The collectTrumpCards website said each of the card had a "unique pre-assigned rarity".
"For the first time, you can celebrate the life and career of President Donald Trump through his first official Digital Trading Card collection," it said. "These are personal digital collectibles or “trading cards” that you can collect, accumulate, trade, etc. Think of them like traditional baseball or basketball cards but stored digitally so you never have to worry about physical damage."
The cards' creators made $4.5 million through the sale, CBS reported.
There were questions if the proceeds would be used for Trump's 2024 presidential run, which he announced last month. collectTrumpCards denied the collection links to any political campaign.
"NFT INT LLC (who owns the cards) is not owned, managed or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Digital LLC or any of their respective principals or affiliates," it said. "NFT INT LLC uses Donald J. Trump's name, likeness and image under a paid license."
The collection has been mocked by those associated with the Republican Party.
“It just seems humiliating and beneath him to be hustling action figure trading cards of himself,” Republican strategist Mike DuHaime was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal. “He was president and a billionaire celebrity real-estate developer, and now he’s selling pictures of himself for 100 bucks.”
Trump is facing many investigations, including for his and his allies' attempts to overturn the election in 2020. Recently, two of his companies were convicted in a criminal tax fraud trial.
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