President Trump’s Fundraising Sneaker Brand Sells Out in Two Hours
Former President Donald Trump surprised attendees at the Sneaker Con Convention by introducing his new Trump-branded sneakers, the “Never Surrender High-tops,” priced at $399. The shoes are gold high tops with an American flag design on the rear.
He also made references to a “Victory47” presidential run by promoting “Victory47” cologne and perfume, which retail for $99 a bottle. There were differing emotions from the audience; some applauded, and others jeered at his arrival. Trump continues to have an impact in politics and industry as seen by his forays into the fashion and fragrance industries.
Despite campaign officials endorsing sneakers and fragrance bearing Trump’s name online, the website claims it is unaffiliated with him.
A judge in New York recently decided that Trump had to pay $355 million in fines for years of allegedly misrepresenting to banks and other parties about his wealth and inflating his financial statements.
This decision comes after another one in which writer E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of sexual assault and won an order for him to pay $83.3 million to repair her reputation. Trump’s entire legal costs might be more than $500 million with interest, raising concerns about his capacity to pay.
Trump’s appearance at the sneaker event drew contrasting reactions, with boos from detractors and “USA!” chants from fans wearing Trump apparel as they arrived at the shoe event. There were moments when it was hard to hear Trump speak over the competition. Some people there carried banners that read, “SNEAKERHEADS LOVE TRUMP.”
Trump held out a pair of gold shoes and placed one on each side of his podium as, “he said a lot of emotions in this room.”
The audience was younger and more diverse than Trump’s usual rally goers, with many people attending from outside the area. In his bid to unseat President Joe Biden, Trump’s campaign hopes to draw in more young and minority voters, especially young Black men.
This is not Trump’s first business endeavor since he announced his candidacy for president in 2022.He made between $100,000 and $1 million from digital trading cards that featured cartoonish versions of himself last year.
In his 2023 financial statement, Trump stated that he owned CIC Ventures LLC, the entity that runs his new shoe endeavor. The project is apolitical and unconnected to any political campaign, as the website makes clear.
Prominent attendees, such as Jonathen Santiago and Danea Mitchell, who support Trump, complimented him on his interactions with the crowd and the design of his sneakers, especially the “red bottoms.” Mitchell dismissed Trump’s legal troubles and expressed optimism about his ability to lead.
There was also a group of “cheer moms” from New Jersey, and Karla Burke observed that while there was occasional disagreement, overall the environment was encouraging. Burke viewed Friday’s decision in the civil fraud trial against Trump as a political ploy to damage his chances of winning the election.
