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From Courtroom to Crypto: Donald Trump Taunts Critics with New $99 MugShot NFTs

Jim Haastrup

Key Insights

  • Donald Trump has just launched an NFT collection themed around his legal troubles called "MugShot."
  • The NFTs are digital trading cards featuring pictures and mugshots from Trump's current criminal charges.
  • Bulk buyers (47 or more) receive special gifts like a piece of Trump's "famous mugshot suit" and a dinner at Mar-a-Lago.
  • This is Trump's third NFT drop, following "Trump Card" and "Trump Force One." 

Donald Trump, arguably the most popular and most controversial US president in the 21st century, is currently facing nearly a hundred criminal indictments including charges ranging from business fraud and tax evasion, to campaign finance violations, obstruction of justice, and incitement of insurrection.

Has that stopped him from making headlines? No.

Quite recently the former US president has made his third foray in a row, into the world of NFTs with a new collection he calls "MugShot".

This collection is themed around his ongoing dance with the law and is either supposed to be a jab at his critics or an attempt at a reelection bid.

Here's what's up with these strange new NFTs, and what makes them so special.

Trump And The NFT Craze

Donald is no stranger to the NFT craze. So far, the former US president has launched about three NFT drops.

Each of these NFT collections upon launch, was revealed to have different themes and different rewards for buyers.

"MugShot," the most recent one, features digital trading cards that depict pictures and mug shots taken during his various criminal indictments.

Donald Trump's announcement

According to a video posted alongside the announcement, these NFTs can either be bought via credit card or Wrapped Ether (wETH).

Here's Where It Gets Interesting

There are two interesting things about this new collection.

The first one is that once bought, buyers cannot transfer them. Buyers will have to wait until the last day of 2024 (or more than a year from now), before they can transfer or sell them to other wallets or platforms.

Likely to avoid issues that US regulatory agencies tend to level against individuals and entities, customers will also have to provide their personal information, such as name, address, and phone number, to comply with the Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations.

$99 NFTs from Donald | Source: CollectTrumpCards.com

The second is that these NFTs cost about $99 each. However, customers who buy bulk NFTs (47 or more) will receive special gifts like "a piece of the president's ACTUAL suit".

In this case, users receive a piece of the suit the former US president wore in his famous mugshot that went viral a while ago.

Other gifts include an invitation to dinner at Mar-a-Lago,  Trump's resort and National Historic Landmark in Palm Beach, Florida.

The number "47" also seems significant, because it represents the number of presidents who have come before Trump in U.S. history.

Trump's Third NFT Drop

This is not the first time that the former US president has used NFTs to reward his fans and supporters.

His previous NFT drops, called "Trump Card" and "Trump Force One," offered similar advantages to buyers, like a signed MAGA hat, a private jet ride, and a golf outing with the former president.

As mentioned by Trump during the announcement, these previous NFTs were highly successful, selling out in a matter of hours after launch and generating millions of dollars in revenue.

Donald's wife, Melania, also recently entered the NFT business, after launching her own NFT collection called "Melania's Vision,".

Unlike Donald's NFTs which were always centered around him, Melania's collection featured digital artworks inspired by her "Be Best" campaign.

Trump has already announced his intention to run again for president in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, despite being impeached twice and banned from major social media platforms.

He has also refused to concede the 2020 U.S. presidential election, claiming that the now-president of the US, Joe Biden rigged the elections and "stole his seat".

Overall, Trump's NFT collections may present some unforeseen legal challenges, such as the former president using his status to sell NFTs, or these NFTs being referred to as "unregistered securities" sometime in the future.

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