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Trump launches his gold 'Never Surrender' trainers: sold out in hours

Former US President Donald Trump has launched his 'Never Surrender' trainers, gold shoes with the American flag that sell out within hours

20 February 2024

Trump annuncia la linea di sneaker a Phildelphia venerdì.

3' min read

There were chocolate bars, wines, NFTs and mugs with Trump's mug shot. And then came the most Trumpian merchandise of all: the "Never Surrender" trainers. Tall, shiny, eccentric.

A sartorial transposition of Trump's value system: an American flag complete with studs wraps around the ankle, the sole is red (the colour of conservatives and the ex-president's favourite ties) and the rest of the shoes, gold, can only remind one of the gleaming Trump Towers. Or Trump's so-called 'gold penthouse' in Manhattan, which emulates the Palace of Versailles with its 24-carat gold (and marble) panelling.

Price? 399 dollars. A figure considered more than fair by Trump's supporters: shortly after the launch of the trainers, the thousand pairs available had already sold out.

Trump lancia le sue sneaker dorate con la bandiera Usa
Photogallery18 foto

The website from which they can be purchased describes them as 'bold, golden and tough, just like President Trump' and points out that they are much more than a pair of shoes: they allow potential owners to 'become part of history'. Too bad the trainers are an unabashed imitation of the iconic Nike Air Force 1. Is it a coincidence that Trump was inspired by a shoe bearing the same name as the presidential jet?

That of the former president would seem to be an attempt to associate himself with the 'cool' inherent in trainer culture. The very one who has (almost) never been seen wearing a sneaker or exercising.

It was also joked that Trump threw shoes on Saturday, a day after receiving yet another sanction, this time for $355 million for civil fraud. That he has to find new ways to fund the various lawsuits going on?

What is certain is that this is just yet another way in which Trump defies the norms of the presidential system. Like when the candidate for the Republican nomination and his team saw a great opportunity in his mugshot that went viral, making mugs, t-shirts and posters out of it.

Last week, Trump went so far as to sell NFT with pieces of the blue suit and red tie he was wearing in the photo. A form of trivialisation that fits perfectly with the latest generation of capitalism, in which anything can be a product to be sold.

The sneakers were created by a company known as 45Footwear LLC and, bizarrely, are not officially "designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, the Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals," according to a disclaimer on the website.

The company in question licenses Trump's name and image from a company called CIC Ventures LLC, which happens to have the same address as the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. It is also impossible not to notice that Trump's trainer website looks a lot like the Trump NFT website.

Trump himself presented the shoes during Sneaker Con in Philadelphia, an event dedicated to enthusiasts. Although the real audience were not the shoe enthusiasts, but those of Make America Great Again.

And for those who couldn't snag the gold trainers, that leaves the less eye-catching T-Red and Potus 45 (Trump was the 45th president) available for $199. Or the Victory47 perfume (in reference to a possible victory in the November elections, which would make him the 47th president) in a gold bottle with a Trump head as the cap. At 'only' $99.