Trump booed as he unveils $399 gold trainers
‘Never Surrender’ shoes are latest in a string of ventures for ex-president during his third campaign
‘This is something that I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years. And I think it’s going to be a big success’
DONALD TRUMP was booed during a surprise appearance to unveil a new line of $399 (£315) trainers – a day after he was fined $355million for fraud.
The crowd at the Sneaker Con event in Philadelphia jeered at the former president as he launched his “Never Surrender high-tops”, using the platform as another campaign stop between court and primary elections.
Holding his golden trainers, Mr Trump said: “Wow, there’s a lot of emotion,” as he responded to the crowd, some of whom were also cheering.
The trainers, with an American flag detail on the back, are being sold on a new website that also sells other
Trump-branded shoes and “Victory47” cologne and perfume for $99 a bottle. A standard style trainer is also offered in either “T-red” or “Potus” white, both with a golden “45”, representing Mr Trump’s time as the 45th president, on the side. The slip-ons sell for $199.
Mr Trump said: “This is something that I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years. And I think it’s going to be a big success.” He appeared in front of a screen advertising a website for the trainers – gettrumpsneakers.com – which describes the trainers as “bold, gold, and tough, just like” Mr Trump.
His cameo at Sneaker Con appears to be an attempt to appeal to younger voters, a key cohort that have traditionally skewed towards the Democrats.
He told the crowd: “We’re going to remember the young people, and we’re going to remember Sneaker Con.”
In 2020, polls showed that Joe Biden, the US president, had a 24-point lead among the under-30s.
A raft of recent polls has shown Mr Trump winning over more young voters than Mr Biden, partly as a result of concerns about his age and support for Israel. A poll by The New York Times and Siena in December gave Mr Trump a six-point lead among voters under 30.
The website selling the trainers offers discounts for multiple orders, and a free “charm” dog tag with a picture of Trump in a superhero costume.
The Never Surrender trainers, which were marked as “sold out” yesterday, are marketed as shoes for “the go-getters who don’t know the word quit”.
In the small print, the company selling the trainers says the shoes are not made by the Trump organisation itself and adds that his image is used as part of a licensing agreement.
It adds that the venture “is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign”.
The trainers are one in a string of money-making ventures Mr Trump has embarked on since beginning his third campaign for the White House in 2022.
Last year, he reported making between $100,000 and $1million from a series of digital trading cards that portrayed him in a series of cartoon-like images, including as an astronaut, a cowboy and a superhero.
He has also released books featuring photos of his time in office and letters written to him through the years.
Before running for office, Mr Trump sold everything from steaks to vodka.
There was also a controversial venture he called “Trump University”. It triggered a wave of litigation from students who claimed they had been defrauded having spent millions of dollars on courses which failed to deliver what they had been promised.
Mr Trump revealed his trainer line a day after a New York judge ruled he must pay $354.9 million in penalties for fraudulently overstating his net worth to dupe lenders. Judge Arthur Engoron also banned him from serving as a company director or taking out loans from banks in New York for three years.
The judge said of Mr Trump and his co-defendants: “Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological.” The fine came after Mr Trump was ordered to pay $83.3million to the writer E Jean Carroll for damaging her reputation after she accused him of sexual assault.
With interest payments, Mr Trump’s legal debts might now exceed a half-a-billion dollars. It is unclear if he can afford to pay that amount.
Mr Trump hit back at Mr Engoron on Saturday, saying the decision was an “election interference plot” and accusing the judge of being part of a “Leftwing” conspiracy aimed at preventing him from becoming president again.
Mr Trump also faces four state and federal criminal trials, including one scheduled to start in New York on March 25, over alleged hush money payments to a porn star. He will become the first former US president to stand trial on criminal charges.
With his legal bills mounting, Elena Cardone, a supporter and the wife of investor Grant Cardone, has launched a Gofundme page aiming to raise $355 million.