Talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel blasted collectors of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s NFT projects as “suckers” and “freaks” late Wednesday—right as secondary market prices for the assets were taking off.
The floor price—or price of the cheapest NFT listed on a marketplace—of Trump Digital Trading Cards minted on Ethereum scaling network Polygon has doubled over the past day to $434, according to data NFT Price Floor. Nearly 90 NFTs from the collection have traded hands during that span.
Kimmel's attacks on NFT holders came as Trump hosted eligible collectors at an event at his Mar-a-Lago resort, where he made various pro-crypto comments.
“Trump used his one day off from the trial today to focus on his pyramid scheme,” Kimmel said, referencing the presumptive Republican nominee’s ongoing hush money case in Manhattan. “He hosted a VIP dinner at Mar-a-Lago for the super-fans who bought his NFTs.”
Kimmel joked that he’d hate to be Trump’s assistant on the day those who bought at least 47 Trump NFTs (originally sold for $99 each) got the opportunity to dine and socialize at the Trump-owned resort in Palm Beach, Florida. It’d be an awkward reminder to give, Kimmel indicated.
“Reminder, you have to eat dinner tonight with the freaks who paid $4,700 for pictures of you wearing Superman tights and a cape,” he said, as the show then flashed NFTs from Trump’s collections, which comprise nearly 200,000 unique collectible trading cards across multiple series.
Sales for Trump's Series 2 collection jumped even more than the original series, with 405 sales over the past day. However, they're far less expensive at a floor price of approximately $82—less than the original $99 primary sale price.
“Not only did the suckers—I mean customers—get digital trading cards, those who paid the most got a piece of the suit he was wearing when he was arrested,” Kimmel said of the perks of the third series (released last December) as the suit's official description popped up on screen. "As you can see, the value [is] 'priceless.'"
Kimmel’s barbs follow a political line drawn in the sand on Wednesday between the Democratic and Republican parties on crypto regulation. Not long after President Biden vowed to veto legislation that would see crypto custody guidance from the Securities and Exchange Commission erased, Trump said the agency was targeting crypto wrongly.
“[Gary] Gensler is very much against it, the Democrats are very much against it,” Trump said. “But I’m good with it.”
Trump himself took aim at a Biden-themed meme coin, which exists on Solana alongside comedic and intentionally misspelled renditions of other politicians. “That's a lot of money for a coin, I don't like that investment,” he said after learning that meme coin "Jeo Boden" (BODEN) has a market cap of $240 million.
But much like the Trump-themed NFTs that jumped in price alongside Kimmel’s remarks, it appears Trump’s negativity only caused Boden to surge. To quote a line from Trump’s book, the “Art of the Deal”: “Good publicity is preferable to bad, but from a bottom-line perspective, bad publicity is sometimes better than no publicity at all.”
Edited by Andrew Hayward
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