PHILADELPHIA (AP) — As he nears the Republican presidential nomination; former president donald trump On Saturday, he made a highly unusual stop to sell new Trump-branded sneakers at SneakerCon, a gathering that bills itself as the “Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth.”
There were loud boos and cheers at the Philadelphia Convention Center as Mr. Trump introduced what he called the first official Trump shoe.
The shoe, a gold lamé high-top with American flag detailing on the back, is sold as the “Never Surrender High-top” on a new website for $399 and features Trump-branded “Victory47” cologne. Perfumes are also sold for $99 each. If he is re-elected, he will become the 47th president.
Trump campaign officials promoted the appearance in online posts, although the website says it is not affiliated with the Trump campaign.
On Friday, a New York judge Trump ordered to pay a huge fine of $355 million.it was revealed that the former president had lied about his assets for years, defrauding banks, insurance companies and others by inflating his assets on financial statements.
This penalty was imposed after President Trump took office. ordered to pay $83.3 million For damaging the reputation of author E. Jean Carroll by accusing him of sexual assault. With the payment of interest, President Trump's legal debt could exceed $500 million — It's unclear how much he'll be able to pay.
Trump's appearance was met with loud boos from his critics and chants of “America!” Hear from a supporter who arrived at a sneaker event wearing President Trump costume. Dueling chants sometimes made it difficult to hear President Trump's speech. Some held signs that read, “Sneakerheads love Trump.”
“There's a lot of emotion in this room,” Trump said of the reaction after holding up and showing off his golden shoes, placing one pair on each side of the podium.
“This is something I've been talking about for 12, 13 years,” he said.
As he spoke, the smell of weed occasionally wafted through the room.
Some attendees said they didn't know President Trump was there and continued shopping as a crowd gathered around the stage. Many in the audience said they were not from the city but from neighboring states or Washington. The attendees were younger and more diverse than Trump's usual rally attendees.
This is not the first time Trump has announced a money-making venture since he began his third White House campaign in 2022. He reportedly made profits of between $100,000 and $1 million on a series of digital trading cards. Through photo editing, he was portrayed in a series of cartoon-like images, including an astronaut, cowboy, and superhero.
Trump's campaign hopes to win over more young and minority voters, especially young black men, in his expected rematch with President Joe Biden in November.
President Trump's new sneaker website says it is run by CIC Ventures LLC, a company the president reported owning in his 2023 financial disclosure. His similarly named company, CIC Digital LLC, owns digital trading card NFTs, or non-fungible tokens.
The website says the new venture is “not political and has no connection to any political movement.”
Trump's press secretary did not respond to questions about the event, including whether Trump was paid to attend.
The website describes the shoe as a numbered, limited edition “true collector's item” that is “bold, gold and tough, just like President Trump.”
“Never Surrender sneakers are your rallying cry in shoe form,” the description reads. “Lace up and go out ready to conquer.”
Also in the crowd were Trump supporters Jonathen Santiago, 21, and Danea Mitchell, 20, who had driven from Monroe County in the northeastern part of the state for the sneaker event. They said they were excited to meet the former president and praised how he interacted with the crowd. We also received warm words regarding our sneakers.
“The red bottom felt really good,” Mitchell said.
When asked about President Trump's legal problems, she shrugged. “If he's convicted, I think he's going to have an interesting four years, but I have no doubt he'll be president,” she said.
A group of “cheer moms” from New Jersey were also in attendance, saying they were in town for a cheerleading event and decided to stop by for a chance to meet President Trump.
Carla Burke, 48, said she heard some people booing and making noise, but most people around her were supportive. “There was a different atmosphere at the front desk,” she said.
Burke said Friday's punishment in Trump's civil fraud trial does not change his support. “I think it was unfair,” she said. “He's not the Republican candidate because they're just going after him.”
Biden-Harris 2024 communications director Michael Tyler said: “Donald Trump's appearance on the bootleg Off-White hawks will bring him closer to Air Force One again for the rest of his life.'' “It's a shame,” he said, criticizing the appearance.
President Trump had planned a rally in the Michigan suburb of Detroit later Saturday.
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Colvin reported from New York.
