- Donald Trump made a surprise appearance at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia on Saturday.
- The former president took to the stage to launch a new line of $400 gold high-top sneakers.
- On Friday, a New York judge ordered Trump to pay a $355 million fine.
Former President Donald Trump made a surprise appearance at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia on Saturday.
President Trump took to the stage at the self-proclaimed “Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth” to unveil a new line of $399 gold high-top sneakers.
The shiny gold “Never Surrender High-Tops” feature the American flag on the back and a capital “T” embroidered on the side.
These are available on websites that sell Trump Cologne and other Trump-branded shoes. According to the site, only 1,000 pairs of the high-top sneakers will be produced.
The website added: “This is not political and has no connection to any political movement.”
But when Trump introduced the shoes, there was a decidedly mixed reaction from the younger, more diverse crowd, with boos and cheers rumbling around the Philadelphia Convention Center.
At times, the distinct smell of marijuana wafted through the room as the former president began his pitch, according to the Associated Press.
“It's amazing,” Trump told the audience. “There's a lot of emotion in this room.”
“This is something I've been talking about for 12, 13 years, and I think it's going to be a huge success,” he continued, according to the Associated Press.
The move comes just one day after a New York state judge ordered Trump to pay a $355 million fine after he admitted to conspiring to manipulate net assets.
In his ruling, Judge Arthur Engoron criticized Mr. Trump and the other defendants, calling their “complete lack of contrition and remorse pathological.”
The ruling could be a devastating blow to the former president's finances as he seeks re-election to the White House.
President Trump claimed last year that he had more than $400 million in cash at his disposal.
But President Trump faces a $355 million civil fraud judgment plus interest and an additional $83.3 million in fines that a federal jury ordered E. Jean Carroll to pay for defamation. Given this, that funding may be at risk of being depleted.
