Trump's $399 Sneakers Sell Out Quickly

UPDATE Feb 20, 2024 9:12 AM CST

Donald Trump's new line of $399 sneakers sold out in a matter of hours, reports Axios. The former president pitched the high-tops at Sneaker Con in Philly over the weekend, and the limited run of 1,000 pairs didn't last long. Trump signed at least 10 pairs randomly. Two other Trump-themed sneaker styles at $199 were still available to order.

Feb 18, 2024 6:00 AM CST

As he closes in on the Republican nomination, former President Trump made a highly unusual stop Saturday, hawking new Trump-branded sneakers at "Sneaker Con," a gathering that bills itself as the "The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth." Trump was met with cheers as well as boos at the Philadelphia Convention Center as he introduced what he called the first official Trump footwear, per the AP. "I've wanted to do this for a long time," he told the crowd, per NBC News. Details:

• The shoes, gold lamé high-tops with an American flag detail on the back, are being sold as "Never Surrender High-Tops" for $399 on a new website—GetTrumpSneakers.com—that also sells Trump-branded "Victory47" cologne and perfume for $99 a bottle. He'd be the 47th president if elected again.
• The website says it is run by CIC Ventures LLC, a company that Trump reported owning in his 2023 financial disclosure. A similarly named company, CIC Digital LLC, owns Trump's digital trading card NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. The website states the new venture "is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign."
• Need a sneaker review? "Trump's shoe is more Hulk Hogan than (Michael) Jordan, with gold paneling all the way around and an American flag hugging the upper heel," writes Jacob Gallagher at the Wall Street Journal. "It is adorned on the side with a gigundo T," he notes. "A poised Nike this sneaker is not."
• This isn't the first money-making venture Trump has announced since launching his third campaign for the White House in 2022. Trump last year reported making between $100,000 and $1 million for a series of digital trading cards that portrayed him, through photo editing, in a series of cartoon-like images, including an astronaut, a cowboy, and a superhero.

(The appearance comes a day after Trump was ordered to pay more than $350 million in a civil fraud case.)