Former Trump administration communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin on Friday gleefully derided the “Pokémon presidency” of her former boss after he unleashed a set of “superhero” images of himself to make money.
The digital cards portraying Trump as an astronaut, race car driver, cowboy and superhero cost $99. They’re advertised as limited-edition NFTs — non-fungible tokens — that are not impossible to copy. Buyers hope they hold — or increase — their value.
Trump also promised that buyers might win a chance to have dinner with him or play golf at one of his clubs.
Griffin slammed the cards on “The View,” where the audience and other members of the talk show’s panel laughed at Trump’s latest crass quest for more money, which he had touted the day before as a “major announcement.” Griffin said it was more like an “infomercial” on TV at 3 in the morning.
Panelist Sunny Hostin called the pitch “disgraceful and embarrassing.”
“Poor Donald, he needs money for his legal fees. Let’s do a GoFundMe for him,” co-host Joy Behar interjected.
Ironically, Trump last year said on Fox News that he “was never a big fan” of cryptocurrency — which, like NFTs, relies on blockchain technology. He also called the digital money “a very dangerous thing.”
Trump is apparently having the last laugh because there are Americans who fell for his pitch. The NFTs sold out in less than a day, netting $4.5 million, CBS News reported.
The 45,000 NFTs were gone by Friday morning, according to the sales site. The cards are now being traded on OpenSea, an NFT marketplace, for prices starting at $1,200. The cards’ creator, artist Clark Mitchell, will receive 10% of any subsequent sale, according to CBS.