Trump Catches Fans Unawares With $99 Digital Cards That May Be Ripped-Off Pics
Earlier this week, Donald Trump sent fans into a tailspin when he teased that a “major announcement” was coming soon, leading many to speculate he was about to reveal his plans for presidency.
It turns out that the former POTUS was launching a line of digital trading cards, or non-fungible tokens (NFTs) featuring fictionalized, comic-style artwork of himself. Each of these virtual tokens is available for sale for US$99 apiece.
With the purchase of one trading card, fans have a chance at winning a variety of prizes involving the former chief, such as a dinner in Miami with Trump, a Mar-A-Lago group cocktail hour, a Zoom call, and more.
The most ardent of supporters can skip the sweepstakes mechanics and go straight to buying 45 tokens (US$4,455), which will guarantee a ticket to a gala dinner with the former President, set to take place in South Florida.
Here’s where the plot thickens: According to Gizmodo, the fictionalized images of Trump appear to be so lazily designed, that reverse image searches show they were possibly edited off other pictures on the internet.
It’s unclear if the photos—including some of him as a superhero, playing golf, and even shooting laser beams out of his eyes—were edited by hand or generated using artificial intelligence (AI) software, but it seems several of the costumes may have been spliced up from outfits sold by small clothing brands.
The news outlet notes that one image of #45 in a hunter’s garb bears a stark resemblance to an all-season breathable wader sold by Banded, a hunting apparel brand; while a recolored cowboy outfit looks to be a match to a leather duster made by California-based Scully Sportswear.
Funnily enough, in a video promoting the NFT project, Trump goes as far as to declare he’s “better than Lincoln, better than Washington.” And while many may think this launch is part of a plan to raise funds for his re-election campaign, the company claims otherwise.
As per NFT INT LLC, the firm behind the auction, the digital trading cards “are not political and have nothing to do with any political campaign.” Rather, the company says it is using Trump’s name, likeness, and image “under paid license from CIC Digital LLC.”
Confused? You are likely not alone. Take a look at the promotional video for the release below.
