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Donald Trump has spent time away from his hush money trial hosting a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago residence for buyers of his NFT trading cards.
Those thought to be in attendance were reportedly supporters who spent thousands of dollars for Mr Trump’s ‘MugShot Edition’ NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, according to Axios.
Despite Mr Trump telling reporters outside the courthouse on Tuesday that he should “be out campaigning right now” for his presidential election bid, he then proceeded to fly back to Florida for his NFT dinner.
According to a copy of the dinner invitation reviewed by Axios, the evening was due to be graced with supporters who purchased at least 47 Trump NFTs.
His website also stated when the NFT cards went on sale in April, that if a person buys 47 digital cards–spending around $4,653-they can get a ticket to a gala dinner with the former president at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Priced at $99 each, some cards were “one-of-ones (the only one in the world)”, while others were hand-signed by Mr Trump, the website claims.
Various clips from the event made the rounds on social media, which included the former president saying that cryptocurrency businesses are moving out of the US because of “hostility.”
When asked by a dinner-goer what he would do to change that, he replied: “Well, we’ll stop it because I don’t want that, I don’t want that. If we’re going to embrace it, we have to let them be here.”
Mr Trump also made a bold claim that his NFTs collection “made NFTs hot again,” which received a round of applause from the audience.
“If you are in favour of crypto, you better vote for Trump,” he declared after he claimed that President Joe Biden wouldn’t know what crypto was and that “the Democrats are very much against it.”
Despite Mr Trump telling a crowd in New Hampshire in January that he would “never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency,” calling it a “dangerous threat to freedom,” it appears that the former president is warming up to the world of crypto.
When asked if people could donate to him using crypto, he replied, “If you can’t, I’ll make sure you can,” according to Cointelegraph.
Buyers of 47 NFTs or more also received physical cards with pieces of the suit Mr Trump wore during his mugshot in Fulton County, Georgia, after he was arrested on racketeering charges, his website claims. Trump denies all charges against him.
“This card is not just a keepsake; it’s a piece of history and a testament to resilience,” the website describes the suit sample card. “It stands as a symbol of President Trump’s unwavering commitment and his enduring dedication to the American Dream.”
Those who spent nearly $10,000 on 100 cards were also invited to a VIP cocktail reception ahead of the dinner.
The last time the former president sold NFT cards, he claimed they sold out in less than a day. Mr Trump’s recent financial disclosure shows he made between $100,001 and $1m from his NFTs.
Mr Trump is currently on criminal trial for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election – allegedly in order to stop her coming forward with allegations of a 2006 affair. Mr Trump denies the affair and the charges against him.