As he closes in on the Republican presidential nomination, former President Donald Trump made a highly unusual stop Saturday, hawking new Trump-branded sneakers at “Sneaker Con,” a gathering that bills itself as the “The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth.”
Trump was met with loud boos as well as cheers at the Philadelphia Convention Center as he introduced what he called the first official Trump footwear.
The shoes, gold lame high tops with an American flag detail on the back, are being sold as “Never Surrender High-Tops” for $399 on a new website that also sells Trump-branded “Victory47” cologne and perfume for $99 a bottle. He’d be the 47th president if elected again.
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Biden-Harris 2024 Communications Director Michael Tyler slammed the appearance, saying: “Donald Trump showing up to hawk bootleg Off-Whites is the closest he’ll get to any Air Force Ones ever again for the rest of his life.”
Is it spelled “hawking,” like the bird? I always thought it was “hocking” like a loogie.
Edit: Huh, TIL.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawking_radiation
Like the radiation, but nothing to do with the radiation.
It’s to hawk, to sell out in the open as a hawker would. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_(trade)?wprov=sfla1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_(trade)
Like the bird, but nothing to do with the bird.
I thinking “hocking” refers to selling things to a pawn shop, yeah? Because, when you get enough money, you can “get my [thing] out of hock.”
Seems like that’d be hawk too according to the other comments, I guess hock is only for ham and loogies.
LMAO fucking loser
Gonna paraphrase another shoe salesmen with this one:
“The shoe has a pliant heel with a cork filling whereas [Trump] is a giant seal with a pork filling”
That slanders both giant seals and pork fillings.
Heres how this grift works, its become quite common and started with books. Once you know it you will see it all the time.
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Politician writes book = politicians pr firm hires ghost writer to write book.
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Politician says one controversial/spicy/tell all thing in book
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Politician goes on all news shows to promote book/super spicy new hot take
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Politicians PAC/dark money donor/political party/putin buys up millions of copy of said book injecting millions into campaign not subject to campaign finance laws that can be spent without regard to laws or limits because its “income”.
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This massive buy immediately puts book on best seller list while books sit in warehouse.
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Books in warehouse legitimately sold/given away at campaign events or give as " FREE" copy if you donate X amount today.
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Politician gets to be on all cable news shows, gets a massive injection of untraceable cash that isnt subject to campaign finance law, and now is a new york times best selling author. Win, win, win.
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Its just money laundering
Trumps shoes? Same as his super hero cards. Its a way to launder in untraceable money from putin, perhaps folks he sold nuclear secrets to, and god knows who else. If it doesnt seem to make sense that all of the sudden trump is selling sneakers its because it doesnt. Hes laundering dark money in full view of the public.
You would think by now AML investigators from every corner of the globe would be watching this guy’s accounts like a hawk with a microscope.
I know that sometimes tracing cashflow is a delicate art, but it can definitely be done, especially if you are working with government-level resources
I don’t think this type of scheme is even illegal which is the main problem.
There are indeed many forms of money laundering which are considered illegal in America, and it is absolutely illegal if someone is accepting funds derived from illicit activity or sanctioned entities (like Russia). The government and most financial institutions generally take the stance that there are very few good reasons to obscure the ultimate source of funds, and so tend to be very risk-averse with such activity.
The trick is in confirming anything illicit is going on when there are potentially dozens of steps and borders in between the source and the recipient.
This message brought to you by Citizens United
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LII U.S. Code Title 4 CHAPTER 1 § 8Quick search by citation: Title Section 4 U.S. Code § 8 - Respect for flag
U.S. Code Notesprev | next No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. Regimental colors, State flags, and organization or institutional flags are to be dipped as a mark of honor.
(a) The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.
(b) The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.
© The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.
(d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white, and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker’s desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.
(e) The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.
(f) The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling.
(g) The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.
(h) The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
(i) The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.
(j) No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart.
(k) The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.
Fascinating read. I think of how many advertisements have the American flag flying in there and how many tshirts and whatnots have it.
It’s way too late to start telling these people about flag code. This got applause.
🤢
I think you mean 🤮
Unfortunately this is just a guideline for conduct within official institutions, and has no bite of real law. It’s predicated on respect, a word these people wouldn’t understand.
“Unfortunately”? Be careful, your wording makes it sound like you would rather people be legitimately punished for letting the flag touch the ground or disposing of it improperly.
I tried interpreting your comment in different ways and hope what you intended to say is that it’s unfortunate that he is the kind of crass person that would abuse this important freedom.
But it’s important for us to make a distinction between those that exercise a freedom and those that abuse a freedom. We should be free to criticize or ridicule those in the latter group for the same reason that they are free to abuse it.
I only mean unfortunately in that there is seemingly no incentive for those people to show proper respect for a flag that they claim to worship. The code is just a kind of etiquette, which is only reinforced through a kind of peer pressure, and the people who actually respect what it stands for have no real way of shaming those who wear it on their underwear – because they just don’t care.
“These are the new AIR BONE SPURS. All proceeds go to Putin”
Will this be used for money laundering?
Like with the ghostwritten books where the RNC buys them up to give out as gifts?
No, never /s
To donate to a presidential campaign, you must be a US citizen, and there’s a $3,300 cap. Anyone can buy sneakers, though, and they can buy as many as they want.
and they can buy as many as they want.
Thw website says they’re sold out…
WI have completely lost the ability to distinguish satire from reality. I’m assuming this is real but damn if we don’t live in the worst timeline.
We are living in a simulation that has gone off the rails and the admins have stopped the auto-rollback several times because they can’t stop laughing.
Hell. We’re all dead, and this is Hell.
Uh so what did the kids do?
Depending on the denomination, dying as a kid when you don’t accept Jesus as your savior is sufficient for damnation.
What about most of the rest of the world who believe in other stupid religions?
I’m not sure I understand the question.
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I don’t know. Everyone talks about worst timeline…but what about worse scenarios? Like, don’t jinx the rest of us, dude!
Is
Gold lame high tops
missing a “é” or not lol
They will be available for pre-order and they will take your money and you will never receive the shoe. I’m calling it.
Of course. Why pay the $3.50 to actually produce it? The people who buy this garbage clearly don’t mind being fleeced
They won’t produce it, and it will still somehow be all made in China
Once a con man always a con man. I don’t feel bad for the people who worship him and lose their money.
Bad things happen in Philadelphia.
Tbh I like how the shoes look. I’d wear them if they were not from Trump and were under 100$.
Far be it for me to judge your stupid taste or your dumb sense of style
Thanks for not just blurting out your unasked opinion and idiotic view.
Imagine being afraid of the color gold and insulting someone because they aren’t afraid of the color gold. Grow up; it’s just a color, and it’s just a style, and you are an asshole for being a dick about it. Why is anyone so opinionated about a shoe anyway?
I don’t know. Since you’re one of those people overly opinionated about people’s opinions about shoes, why don’t you tell us?
I’ll judge anyone who wears gold shoes. That’s just tacky.
“I judge people by their shoes and I’ll loudly proclaim it to the entire world because I don’t like the color gold.”
Just listen to yourself lmao
Yes, I do judge people when they waste their money on ugly, expensive sneakers.
Especially when I can think of many, many things that a $400 investment would be better spent on.
I know, I’m the worst.
You don’t own other people or their money. You cannot say whether there is another 400 dollar “investment” that’s better for then. Why do you have the need to dictate other people’s lives? Super weird, tbh. Also, maybe other people just have more money than you and can afford it?
Also, you are not the arbiter of “beauty”
So you’re claiming that I’m not allowed to judge people based on my standards?
Because that seems like what you’re doing to me right now.
No, they’re judging your preferences by their own preferences for not judging people for wearing ugly shoes.
Gold anything is tacky.
I agree. Which is why I’ve hated pretty much every design Trump has ever been involved with, long before he was president.
I would also wear these shoes, if around 100 dollars, and not from Trump, just to troll the people in this thread who are talking trash about them. I bet not a single one of them would say a thing to either of us about it in real life because they’d be too intimidated by our swagger lol.
P.S.: I am opinionated about this because my car has gold wheels hahaha
Only $335 million a pair.
Honestly when I read an earlier article on this (well, the title) I thought it said $399 million. Like he was joking (maybe half-joking) that if he could just sell ONE, his problems would be solved.
Somethin’ somethin’ Peak Capitalism.
You guys understand that these are for laundering money to his defense funds, right? Nobody actually buys these.
Instead, his illicit contacts in Russia and other extremist groups, will buy a fuck ton and let them rot just to feed money into his pocket ‘legally’
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It’s very obvious. Also surreal.
