Reeling From $450 Million Penalty, Trump Hawks
$400 Shoes
In just the past year, Mr. Trump has promoted trading
cards, his mug shot, scraps of his clothes and firearms bearing his name and
likeness.
Chris
Cameron
By Chris
Cameron
Feb. 18,
2024
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/18/us/politics/trump-sneakers-line.html?searchResultPosition=1
Former
President Donald J. Trump, reeling from a ruling in a New York civil fraud case
on Friday that ordered him to pay about $450 million, appeared at a footwear
convention in Philadelphia the next day to promote Trump-branded sneakers,
retailing for just under $400.
The former
president took to the stage at Sneaker Con — facing a less friendly audience
than is typical for his political rallies — brandishing golden shoes called the
“Never Surrender High-Top,” which follow in the footsteps of Trump-branded
products like Trump Water, Trump Vodka and Trump Steaks.
“Wow, a lot
of emotion, there’s a lot of emotion in this room,” Mr. Trump said after boos
and cheers drowned out his voice as he began speaking. He added, “We’re going
to remember the young people, we’re going to remember Sneaker Con.”
The
appearance, just hours before a scheduled campaign rally in Michigan, is the
latest effort by Mr. Trump to capitalize on his brand as he faces staggering
penalties in civil court cases and 91 felony counts across four criminal
indictments. In just the past year, Mr. Trump has promoted trading cards, his
mug shot, scraps of his clothes and firearms bearing his name and likeness.
The website
selling the shoes says they are not “designed, manufactured, distributed or
sold by Donald J. Trump,” adding that “GetTrumpSneakers.com is not political
and has nothing to do with any political campaign.” But the company is using
Mr. Trump’s brand through a licensing agreement, under which he would most
likely get a cut of the revenue. Mr. Trump, his campaign and surrogates have
all promoted the shoes either at the convention or online.
The
sneakers, described on the website where they are sold as “Bold, gold and
tough, just like President Trump,” are coated almost entirely in gold — even
the shoelaces — and have a “T” badge for Trump and an American flag wrapped
around the collar. The site also features two other cheaper sneaker styles in
red or white for just under $200, as well as “Victory47” cologne and perfume
sold for just under $100.
Derek Guy,
a men’s wear writer who has written extensively about the style of politicians,
called the promotion “embarrassing.”
“Imagine
Macron doing a limited drop and Rishi Sunak holding pop-up events,” he wrote on
social media, referring to the French president and the British prime minister
doing similar promotions.
Chris
Cameron covers politics for The Times, focusing on breaking news and the 2024
campaign. More about Chris Cameron
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