Psst! Are you looking for some last minute gift ideas?
Well, a former president who still claims he won the last election has got a deal for you...
Former President Donald Trump, who once said bitcoin "seemed like a scam" and described cryptocurrencies as "potentially a disaster waiting to happen” made what he called a "major announcement" on Dec. 15.
Now bear in mind Trump is running for president again, so he must've named his running mate, right?
Well, no, actually, he didn't.
It seems that Trump, who also said cryptocurrencies "may be fake," was unleashing his NFT collection on an unsuspecting and apparently somewhat disinterested world.
"Hello, everyone this is Donald Trump, hopefully your favorite president of all time," the real estate mogul and former chief executive said in a promotional video, "better than Lincoln better than Washington, with an important announcement."
Trump digital trading cards, he said, "feature some of the really incredible artwork pertaining to my life and my career."
But wait, there's more, Each card, Trump said, "comes with an automatic chance to win amazing prizes."
Really, what kind of prizes?
"Like dinner with me--I don't know that's an amazing prize but it's what we have'--golf with you and a group of your friends at one of my beautiful golf courses --and they are beautiful," Trump explained. "I'm also doing zoom calls, a one-on-one meeting, autographing memorabilia and so much more."
"And remember," he added. "Christmas is coming and this makes a great Christmas gift."
Trump Changes His Mind (Often)
Now hold on just a darn minute,
Isn't Donald Trump the same guy who said, “I don’t think we should have all of the bitcoins in the world out there" and that "the currency should be the dollar"?
Yeah, but the guy is entitled to change his mind, isn't he?
After all, Trump used to say that "only the Mob" pleaded the Fifth Amendment" and "if you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?"
But just this summer Trump reportedly pleaded the Fifth Amendment more than 440 times in during his deposition at the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who filed a $250 million lawsuit against Trump and his family real estate company,
Of course, when Trump took the Fifth, he had his reasons.
Don't forget that Trump also gave us Trump Wines, Trump Steaks, Trump Ice Natural Spring Water, Trump Airlines, and Trump University.
And look how well they all turned out.
Trump certainly didn't time his NFT venture very well.
The cryptocurrency market has been severely battered, most recently by the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX and the arrest of its founder Sam Bankman-Fried.
Fighting Battles on Several Fronts
Overall NFT trading volume dropped about 8% in November, according to DappRadar, while the total number of NFTs sold dipped 23% compared with October.
The former reality show star is facing trouble on several other fronts besides the New York Attorney General's case.
Earlier this month, two Trump Organization companies were found guilty on multiple charges of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records.
There's the top secret documents theft investigation, the Jan. 6 insurrection probe, and the Georgia electors case.
And on the political front, a poll regarding potential Republican nominees for president in 2024 found Trump trailing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by 23 points.
Trump wasn't getting much love for his NFT project from Twitter either, even though Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, who bought the microblogging website for $44 billion, allowed "The Art of the Deal" author to return following his Jan. 6-related expulsion.
"Oh my goodness Trump’s major announcement' is even more pathetic than I anticipated," one person said.
"Donald Trump went from being president to be a late night infomercial for his own NFT," another person tweeted. "This is the cheesiest piece of s--t I’ve ever seen. I love it."
