Author: Weilin, PANews
On the evening of July 31st, Beijing time, US Republican presidential candidate Trump announced several Bitcoin-themed sneaker series on his social networking site Truth Social.
As soon as the news came out, the most popular high-top Bitcoin orange-themed sneakers, originally priced at $499, sold out within three hours. Subsequently, scalpers appeared on the shopping website eBay, with more than a dozen orders placed, and the highest price was $2,500.
This is not the first time Trump has promoted the sale of shoes, but after his speech at the Bitcoin 2024 conference, Trump has made cryptocurrencies and crypto users one of his focuses in winning votes.
Trump sells Bitcoin-themed sneakers, scalpers charge them for $2,500
On the evening of July 31, on Truth Social, Trump said that the sneakers are limited edition, each pair is numbered, and can now be paid with Bitcoin or the user's favorite cryptocurrency. The website (https://gettrumpsneakers.com/) shows that there are 1,000 pairs of sneakers in a single series, the orange high-top series is priced at $499, and the orange low-top and black high-top sneakers are both priced at $299.
As soon as the news came out, it quickly attracted many buyers, and 1,000 pairs of Bitcoin orange-themed high-top sneakers were sold out within 3 hours. Currently, on the shopping website eBay, scalpers have speculated that the shoes have reached $2,500, with a minimum price of $700, and a total of 13 orders. Some people even set the price to $69,999 for fun.
It is worth noting that while most listings on eBay promise that the shoes will be shipped to the buyer once the seller receives them, which is expected to happen between September and November. Most sellers appear to have high buyer ratings, but more than one seller has been accused of being a "scam" in the buyer feedback section. It is unclear whether these potential transactions are legal.
Currently, the orange low-top and black high-top versions are still on pre-sale on the official website, priced at US$299 per pair.
After Bitcoin 2024 Conference, Trump Promotes "Crypto President" Slogan
Now, Bitcoin-themed sneakers have become a special marketing tool for Trump. It is worth noting that these sneakers are printed with the slogan, "Trump, Crypto President", which is consistent with Trump's speech at the conference. In addition, the official website stated that 5 pairs of limited edition sneakers with orange high tops will be randomly signed by Trump, which means that Trump sneaker enthusiasts will have a 1/200 chance of receiving signed shoes. This is intended to further attract users and show the collection value of these shoes.
This is not the first time Trump has promoted a product. On February 17 this year, Trump gave a speech at a sneaker show at the Philadelphia Convention Center, holding a pair of golden Trump brand sneakers on the podium. Trump named them "NEVER SURRENDER HIGH-TOP SNEAKER." "This is something I've been talking about for 12, 13 years, and I think it's going to be a huge success," Trump said during his speech.
The golden high-top sneakers are printed with the American Stars and Stripes and the capital letter "T" representing Trump, and are sold online for $399. A limited edition of 1,000 pairs was issued. At the Philadelphia Shoe Show, a man bought a pair of "Trump's Golden Boots" at an auction for $9,000.
Trump's website currently lists more than a dozen other footwear styles, including golf shoes, low-top sneakers, slippers, two perfumes and a cooler, all of which support Bitcoin and credit card payments. According to the website, the sales revenue of these shoes will not be used as political donations.
On July 28, at the Bitcoin 2024 conference, Trump said that the market value of Bitcoin will exceed that of gold; if elected, he will force Gary Gensler, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to step down; he will retain Bitcoin pledged by the government as a strategic reserve, etc. Through his speech, Trump is expected to attract further support in the crypto community.
For example, on July 31, well-known investor and serial entrepreneur Gary Cardone announced that he had donated 12.8 BTC to the Trump administration, worth about $852,000. According to Trump campaign aide David Bailey, the Trump campaign raised $21 million during the 2024 Bitcoin Conference.
In addition to releasing Bitcoin-themed sneakers, Trump will also release a fourth series of NFTs in the future. As of 1 p.m. on August 1, the floor price of the first series of Trump digital trading cards fell 4.46% in 24 hours, but the 24-hour trading volume increased by 145.59%. For the second series, the floor price fell 3.74%, and the trading volume increased by 136.71%. The floor price of the third series (MugShot Edition) fell 2.95%.
On July 17, according to an interview with Trump published by Bloomberg Businessweek, Trump plans to launch a fourth NFT series. In the interview, Trump said that his previous NFT collection was "very successful" and sold out in one day: "All sold out: 45,000 cards. I launched it three times, and I will launch it again because people want me to launch it again."
