Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
Former President Donald Trump has found a new way to monetize his infamous mugshot, while also selling the chance to see his face in person.
Trump announced Tuesday that snippets of the suit he wore for that photo would be available for purchase, as part of a new sale of NFT “digital trading cards,” a product he debuted in late 2022.
Customers who buy 47 of the $99 apiece digital cards, Trump says, will receive a physical card containing a piece of the suit Trump is seen wearing in the photo.
“It was a great suit, believe me, a really good suit. It’s all cut up, and you’re gonna get a piece of it,” Trump said in a video on Truth Social.
The $4,653 package also includes a dinner with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club and residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
The Aug. 24 photo was shot in an Atlanta-area jail, where Trump was booked on state charges of conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.
Like the first round of card sales, the current offer claims the cards are “not political and have nothing to do with any political campaign.”
Still, by offering buyers an in-person dinner with Trump, the deal essentially provides access to a former president and current top presidential contender — without any of the guardrails of federal campaign finance rules.
The cards are produced and sold by NFT INT LLC, which has a licensing agreement with Trump to use his name and image.
Trump said the 2022 digital card offer sold out within hours. He later reported earning between $100,001 and $1 million in income from the sale. He released another series of 47,000 cards in April.
The cards show cartoon versions of Trump in various hero-like postures and outfits. One in the new batch shows him gripping blue bolts of lightning in front of the U.S. Capitol as fighter jets fly past. Another shows him sitting in the place of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial statue.
“Some people call these cards pop art or modern art,” Trump said in the video. “They give me muscles where, believe me, I don’t have them.”
NFTs, short for nonfungible tokens, are unique digital assets that have their ownership recorded on a digital ledger called a blockchain.
For those who buy 47 digital cards, the physical cards will contain one of 2,024 pieces of Trump’s suit from the mugshot. Some of these cards are autographed, according to the site.
Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards
Source: CollectTrumpCards.com
The suit was authenticated by Troy Kinunen, president of sports memorabilia authenticator MEARS. Kinunen is quoted describing Trump’s suit as “the most historically significant artifact in United States history.”
In an interview with CNBC, Kinunen confirmed that quote, albeit with the caveat that it was “definitely one of them, especially in modern times with social media.”
He also reiterated his view that the value of the suit is “priceless.”
“How do you put a price on something like that?” Kinunen said. “It’s really unprecedented.”
Read more CNBC politics coverage
Kinunen said he conducted a physical evaluation of the suit using a digital microscope and a light table to check the quality, size, construction and manufacturing details of the garment.
“I can’t think of anything that has reached this threshold,” he said.
There are also $9,900 “VIP Tickets” to the black-tie-optional dinner at Mar-a-Lago, which include access to a cocktail reception with Trump.
The VIP ticket holders also get two physical cards: one with a piece of Trump’s suit from the mugshot, and a second autographed card containing a piece of Trump’s suit and tie.
This offer is limited to 200 people, who must each buy 100 cards in one transaction, and pay by cryptocurrency, the site specifies.
There is no date for the dinner, though the website says buyers will get at least 30 days’ notice to plan a trip to Florida. The gala dinner will include roughly 800 people, according to the terms and conditions.
Attendees are responsible for all costs and expenses associated with the live event, including travel expenses and related charges, the site notes.
Trump sought to capitalize on his mugshot almost immediately after it was released. His campaign has repeatedly used it in fundraising pitches and his joint fundraising committee has slapped it on T-shirts, bumper stickers, coffee mugs and Christmas stockings.
Within a day of being booked in Georgia, Trump’s campaign reportedly raised more than $4 million, marking his highest-grossing 24-hour period of the primary cycle.
Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO: