In addition to the claptrap and absolute abhorrence of a policy Donald Trump has attempted to sell to the American people over the past few years, the former president has also embarked on a variety of new business ventures that you may have not heard of.
On Aug. 27, Trump announced via Truth Social a fourth series of his exclusive non-fungible tokens called “Trump Trading Cards” in an apparent attempt to capture the vote of crypto currency users. The cards, first released in December 2022, depict the former president in a variety of absurd portraits such as a U.S. soldier, a laser-eyed superhero, an astronaut and a Wild West sheriff.
If the idea of the 78-year-old Trump being depicted like this is somewhat confusing, it’s because they don’t necessarily represent his true appearance. The cards show a much thinner, younger, sometimes muscular and overall more flattering portrayal than the typical Trump we know.
If that was not enough to sell you, here’s the real deal. If you purchase 15 trading cards, valued at $99.00 each, you will receive a physical card containing a piece of the suit that Trump wore to debate President Joe Biden in June. When one purchases 75 cards, one gets a “once-in-a-lifetime experience” of attending dinner with Trump at his Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida. Also included in the package is the Trump suit card, an additional 100 trading cards, two pairs of “Never Surrender” gold high-top Trump sneakers and one pair of limited-edition platinum high-top sneakers.
They have nothing to do with his campaign and are all under a paid license by CIC Ventures LLC, a company Trump claimed to own in his 2023 financial disclosures.
The shoes included in the package are a callback to another scheme by Trump, announced to a packed audience at Sneaker Con in February. This came one day after a judge ordered Trump and his companies to pay $355 million in his New York civil fraud trial.
Aside from the audience’s jeering aimed at Trump, there came the immediate mocking of the appearance of the shoes. Ornamented with a tackiness that only Trump could create, the high-top gold and shiny sneakers are branded with a large “T” on the sides and “45” on the back. Toward the top of the sneakers is a condensed American flag, and on the soles a bright red and white. Similarly to the NFTs, there have also been different iterations of these sneakers, the latest of which are included in the 75-trading card “deal.”
Following claims at the end of last year from Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and comedian Kathy Griffin accusing Trump of having a body odor and “leakage” problems, Trump released cologne and perfumes alongside his sneakers. The scents, which are named “Victory47,” were listed initially for $99 and have now increased to $119. The website describes the scents as the “signature strength of success.”
However silly and absurd these business ventures sound, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Trump’s grifting.
In 2005, Donald Trump launched Trump University, an educational institution that touted its strength in real estate and business. At the launch of Trump University, Trump said that the idea was a way to give back to the community following the success of his real estate business and his career as host of NBC’s “The Apprentice.” It was his way to cement his “legacy as an educator.” Trump even went as far to say any profit he made from Trump University would be turned over to charity
If you consider a university’s campus to be Holiday Inn ballrooms and the lectures equivalent to get-rich-quick schemes, Trump University succeeded in its goal. Like legitimate universities, there was tuition. For Trump University, the cost was tens of thousands of dollars.
Many of the instructors who hosted the workshops did not have any history in real estate or business. According to the employee playbook, the programs and curriculums taught by the teachers through workshops were intended to “set the hook” for future sales. Those sales included a “Trump Gold Elite” program, an upgrade from the base-level course, listed at the low price of $34,995.
Troves of evidence and information relating to the scheme were unsealed following a trial that in 2018, resulted in Trump agreeing to a $25 million settlement with the former students who brought the lawsuit forward. Never admitting wrong, Trump made a Twitter post on the day of the settlement, saying, “The ONLY thing about winning the Presidency is that I did not have the time to go through a long but winning trial on Trump U. Too bad!”
Shamelessness has always been Trump’s MO. This extends to his attempt to court the Christian vote in this country. Trump has always claimed to have a deeply profound understanding of Christianity and its practices, so much so that he once tweeted “HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY TO ALL!” in 2020. But this incident pales in comparison to his most insulting, offensive and egregious grift yet — the “God Bless The USA” Bible.
This time, Trump teamed up with “God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood to produce a leather-bound, large-print, King James Version Bible for $59. Included alongside the word of God are copies of the founding documents of the United States and handwritten lyrics to the Bible’s namesake song.
The website where the Bible is sold boasts that it is the only Bible that has been endorsed by Trump and Greenwood. If you are feeling particularly sentimental, you can purchase a commemorative “The Day That God Intervened” edition. This version of Trump and Greenwood’s Bible is described by the website as “embossed … in remembrance of the day that God intervened during President Donald J. Trump’s assassination attempt.”
You might think these products are a simple campaign merchandise attempt. However, like the sneakers, the “God Bless the USA” Bible, cologne and trading cards, do not directly fund his run for president.All these outlandish ventures would be hilarious if there was little to no chance Trump could be re-elected president in November. The reality is that the pattern of Trump prioritizing his self-interest, financial gain and image above all is nothing new. If Trump wins, that puts our country at great risk; he seems to not care about anyone but himself. With his desperation to remain relevant, ever-growing legal problems and tumbling Truth Social stocks, Trump seems more willing now than ever to follow any avenue that promises a quick return.
