Former President Donald Trump unveiled a $400 set of limited edition Trump branded sneakers over the weekend as enormous legal judgements pile up against him.
Trump revealed the new sneaker on Saturday at Sneaker Con, which bills itself as “The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth,” at the Philadelphia Convention Center.
“I just want to tell you, you know, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. I have some incredible people that work with me on things and they came up with this,” Trump said. “This is something I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years and I think it’s going to be a big success.”
“The Never Surrender High-Tops” were being sold on a website that also is taking preorders for a $99 cologne and a $99 perfume as well as a different type of sneaker, available in two colors, that is being sold for $199.
“Bold, gold, and tough, just like President Trump,” a description of the $400 shoes said. “They’re for the go-getters who don’t know the word quit. With a standout gold finish and the ‘T’ badge, these kicks are for true Patriots. Wrapped with an American flag on the collar, they shout out to the brave and the free. The Never Surrender sneakers are your rally cry in shoe form. Lace-up and step out ready to conquer.”
One individual reportedly bought a pair of Trump signed sneakers for $9,000 at the event.
This gentleman won autographed Trump sneakers with a $9000 bid at Sneakercon! #Trump2024 🇺🇸👟
Video by @AtlasEternal13 pic.twitter.com/zEjnbCP2fQ
— A.E. (@AtlasEternal13) February 17, 2024
“Trump’s new sneaker website says it is run by CIC Ventures LLC, a company that Trump reported owning in his 2023 financial disclosure,” the Associated Press reported. “A similarly named company, CIC Digital LLC, owns his digital trading card NFTs, or non-fungible tokens.”
The new website says that “Trump Sneakers are not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals.”
The website also says in the fine print that it is not political and “has nothing to do with any political campaign.”
The release of the sneakers comes as Trump was dealt a blow late this week when a New York judge ruled that he must pay more than $350 million in a civil business fraud case. Trump also was recently ordered to pay approximately $83 million to a woman who a New York jury ruled that Trump defamed.