Think NFTs are over? Well, not for Donald Trump. We had a good laugh back in December when the former US president launched a set of collectible NFT playing cards bearing his own visage photoshopped onto various unlikely bodies. The collection couldn't have been any more cringeworthy. Or so we thought.
But Trump has just trumped his own artistic low by following up with a second NFT drop. A whopping 47,000 pieces have sold out in hours. And yes, one of them really shows Trump standing behind a burning lion that's pouncing on the globe. (Confused? our 'What is an NFT' guide may help.)
The 2021 NFT boom saw all kinds of travesties being passed off as crypto 'art', but anyone who might have hoped the market's fall amid the crypto winter would send the worst culprits packing will have been disappointed. It was hard to believe that Donald Trump's collectible NFT trading cards were real. But real they were, and now there are more. Lots, lots more.
To celebrate being let back onto Instagram after his ban in 2021, Trump used his first posts to announce a second series of what, with trademark modesty, he describes as "the greatest trading card in history" featuring "incredible artwork of me". And he didn't even raise the price. For just $99 a piece, collectors could own a very, very strange little piece of history.
The surreal digital collages imagine Trump doing everything from making a barbecue to taking over the planet. He's shown as a gold chess piece, a lion tamer, a surfer riding a wave made of cash, a king of hearts playing card and even as George Washington.
The collection sold out in less than a day, although you can buy posters, mugs and blankets featuring some of the designs, should you be inclined. Investors in Trump's first drop might not be too impressed though. The value of the first series of NFT's, which is estimated to have made Trump up to $1m, has fallen as a result of the new release.
Terrible artwork aside, Trump's successful drop does seem to show that the NFT market is still alive and kicking. That's something at least. See our piece on how to make and sell an NFT if you're looking to get started yourself.
