Former US President Donald Trump just released his first non-fungible token (NFT) collection. The Trump Digital Trading Cards NFT collection consists of 45,000 digital collectibles. The collection received criticism from mainstream media outlets, with many outlets mocking the endeavor. Trump NFTs are available via OpenSea and via the official website, CollectTrumpCards.com, for $99. Many celebrities are flocking to NFTs to help increase audience engagement and establish new ways to generate revenue. However, the launch of the Trump NFT collection was met with mixed reviews from mainstream media outlets and social media onlookers. Furthermore, the former president was not the first in the Trump family to release an NFT collection. In January 2022, the Melania Trump NFT collection went to auction on the Solana blockchain.
Donald Trump has previously spoken out against cryptocurrencies, declaring he isn’t a fan of them. Nonetheless, the introduction of Trump NFTs shows that the former president may be having a change of heart.
In this article, we’ll dive deep into the Donald Trump Digital Trading Cards collection. We’ll explore the different types of Trump NFTs available, where to buy them, the perks they grant to holders, and answer “what are Trump Digital Trading Cards?”. We’ll also discuss the public reaction to the Trump NFT collection and explore the impact NFTs have on brands and marketing. Additionally, we’ll take a look at the Melania Trump NFT collection and discuss why so many celebrities are involved with digital collectibles.
Trump NFTs
On December 15, 2022, former US President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to announce the launch of the Donald Trump Digital Trading Cards collection on Polygon via an animated video akin to an infomercial. It came a day after a “major announcement” was teased by Trump online. The series of digital collectibles launched on leading NFT marketplace OpenSea and features the former president in various costumes, poses, and themes, including a sheriff, an astronaut, a superhero, and a boxer.
In 2019, Trump stated he was “not a fan” of crypto. Despite this, the Trump NFT collection shows that the former president has warmed to some aspects of Web3. According to the official website, CollectTrumpCards.com, each NFT in the Trump collection has a maximum of 20 copies. Each characteristic has a different degree of rarity, and some cards are one-of-a-kind.
Trump supporters gain access to a range of perks when they purchase Trump NFT, including a Mar-A-Lago cocktail hour, a Miami dinner, and a game of golf with Trump and his friends. According to CollectTrumpCards.com, the trading cards cost $99 and are “just like baseball cards, but you collect them digitally, on your computer or phone.”
Reaction
Though Trump’s support base is significant, mainstream media outlets have been quick to mock the Trump NFT collection, with some media outlets calling the former president “desperate” and “sad.” Early onlookers on Twitter dubbed the project a scam, while others have raised concerns about Trump’s financial track record and what that could spell for investors.
Furthermore, the launch of the Trump NFT collection coincided with a seven percent share price slump for Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) with close ties to Trump. This negative sentiment reflects the narrative among mainstream media outlets toward the former president.
On the other hand, some commentators have praised Trump for venturing into the world of Web3. The global headlines surrounding the Trump NFT collection have drawn significant attention to the NFT space and could be a catalyst for adoption.
What are NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital representations of assets that live on the blockchain. Fungible currencies like BTC, ETH, or USD are interchangeable. If you take out a $10,000 loan from a bank, you can repay the loan with any units of that currency. Likewise, if you borrow ETH from a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol, you don’t need to repay the debt with the same ETH you borrowed.
On the other hand, non-fungible assets are unique and non-interchangeable. Even if they look identical, the metadata contained within them helps to identify the purchase history and the issue number of any NFT in a collection, making them ideal for digital collectibles and in-game items. However, NFTs have extensive utility beyond digital collectibles.
NFTs are becoming increasingly popular for tokenizing assets on the blockchain. For example, you can tokenize physical art, real estate, and music as NFTs. Also, NFTs help to prevent fraud and counterfeiting throughout the ticketing and live events industry. Furthermore, NFTs create new revenue streams and audience engagement opportunities for brands and artists. Plus, they can help artists to earn a higher portion of royalty fees by removing intermediaries.
Releasing an NFT collection has become a popular marketing technique for celebrities, entertainers, and musicians. One of the most prominent platforms for buying NFTs is OpenSea, which is where you can purchase Donald Trump NFTs.
Trump NFTs OpenSea
OpenSea is the leading NFT marketplace and is responsible for a significant portion of the overall volume in the NFT market, making it an obvious choice for the Trump Digital Trading Cards collection. At the time of writing, the Trump NFT collection has a total volume of 623 ETH and a floor price of 0.01 ETH per NFT.
Trump’s OpenSea collection is a separate endeavor from his reelection campaign. Buying Trump NFTs will not influence his ability to reclaim office. However, buying 45 of them will get you dinner with Mr. MAGA himself. Suppose you don’t feel like buying 45 Donald Trump NFTs. In that case, less-enthusiastic investors still have the opportunity to win thousands of prizes in The Trump Sweepstakes, such as signed merchandise and video calls.
Users can purchase Donald Trump NFTs via OpenSea or directly via the Trump Digital Trading Cards website, CollectTrumpCards.com. If you already have a crypto wallet, you can use it to store your Trump NFTs. If you don’t have a crypto wallet, you can purchase NFTs via the website using an email address.
Was it a Success?
Despite the mockery and neigh saying, the entire collection sold out on OpenSea within 12 hours of launch. At a price of $99 per NFT, the collection has amassed around $4.4 million in sales. However, some speculate that the Trump team may have been involved in securing the auction sales. NFT trading volumes are currently a fraction of what they were at their peak in 2021.
The Trump NFT collection may have been badly timed. Nonetheless, time will tell if the Trump Digital Trading Cards collection is a hit or not. According to data made available by OpenSea, several Trump NFTs have already lost value. However, the NFT market is highly speculative and volatile, so the Trump Digital Trading Cards collection is no different in this regard.
Some onlookers suggest that Trump NFT purchases could have been orchestrated by the Trump team to ensure a sellout in a similar fashion to the Melania Trump NFT collection. However, there is currently no data to support this notion. What is clear, however, is that the release of the Trump Digital Trading Cards collection has caused journalists and media outlets to shine a light on Donald Trump. There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?
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Melania Trump NFTs
The Trump Digital Trading Cards collection may be the former president’s first NFT collection, but his wife, the former First Lady Melania Trump, is well-versed in digital collectibles. The first announcement of Melania Trump NFTs dates back to December 2021, when her office voiced the release of a watercolor image of her “cobalt blue eyes” titled “Melania’s Vision.” The piece sold for 1 SOL, worth around $180 at the time.
On January 11, 2022, the former First Lady’s “Head of State Collection” went up for auction. The piece combines a digital portrait and a hat she sported during a visit to French President Emmanuel Macron. It sold for 1,800 SOL. However, public data on the Solana blockchain shows that the wallet address with the highest bid is the same wallet address that listed the NFT for auction.
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How to Create Your Own NFT Project
NFTs are one of the biggest drivers of Web3 adoption. Digital collectibles are essential marketing tools for brands and companies sector-wide. They help businesses and artists generate new revenue streams and create value for audiences and consumers. If you’re looking for the fastest way to prototype, build, and launch an NFT project, check out the Moralis NFT API.
The Moralis cross-chain NFT API lets you retrieve NFT data from any supported blockchain with a single call. Plus, it lets you avoid irregular data sets and querying unreliable servers. Whether you want to create a full-fledged NFT marketplace or simply keep track of owners of an NFT collection, like these Trump NFTs, Moralis offers the tools you need to bring your NFT project to life, for free.
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Celebrities and NFTs
Celebrities are synonymous with NFTs. Numerous famous figures have been involved with NFT purchases from prominent collections like CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC). Some celebrities paid millions of dollars to get their hands on these rare digital collectibles, while others have released collections of their own. Musician Snoop Dogg has released several NFT collections, including a collection of avatars for the metaverse gaming platform The Sandbox.
Other prominent figures involved with NFTs include Paris Hilton, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Steve Aoki, and Ashton Kutcher, all of whom are invested in the NFT gateway and crypto payment platform MoonPay.
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Trump NFTs – What are Trump Digital Trading Cards? – Summary
The Donald Trump Digital Trading Cards collection is the first NFT offering by former US President Donald Trump. According to the official website, owners can “make history” by purchasing one of 45,000 hand-drawn pieces inspired by the life of Donald Trump. Though the Trump NFT collection was mocked by global media outlets, the collection sold out in 12 hours, raising millions of dollars.
After it was found that the Melania Trump NFT collection was purchased by the same wallet that listed it at auction, many speculate that sales from the Donald Trump Digital Trading Cards collection may not reflect the real demand for the collection. If the Trump team was involved with purchasing Trump NFTs, it made greater efforts to cover it up than when the former First Lady forayed into NFTs earlier this year.
NFTs are relatively new. The first iterations of NFTs came about in 2017 with the introduction of CryptoKitties and other Web3 gaming platforms. Now, with the metaverse growing in popularity and celebrities jumping on the bandwagon, NFTs look set to play a prominent role in Web3 adoption in the coming months.
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