Earlier this year, sneaker heads gathered in Philadelphia for Sneaker Con, a traveling expo which bills itself as “The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth.”
Amid the expected array of rare kicks, influencer meet-ups and brand activations, the crowd was met with an unexpected guest: Former President Donald Trump.
Even more unexpected than the septuagenarian politician dropping in to a sneaker convention? He came to hawk his own branded limited-edition sneakers.
One day after Trump and his company were ordered by a New York judge to pay $355 million in penalties resulting from findings regarding the former president’s claims of his wealth, the three-time Republican presidential nominee unveiled his first official footwear: The Never Surrender High-Tops.
According to the Associated Press, Trump told the crowd: “This is something that I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years. And I think it’s going to be a big success.”
Charging $399 a pair, a total of 1,000 were released on a website called gettrumpsneakers.com — which claims no affiliation to the candidate.
The company behind the sales is CIC Ventures, which licensed Trump’s image and likeness.
New York Times reporter Ken Bensinger noted in 2022 the company was founded in 2021 by a former Trump advisor and lawyer and lists a mailing address which is the same as the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Of the 1,000 pairs of high-top gold sneakers, 50 were set aside as “Friends and Family” editions. Of those, just five were signed by Trump.
One of the recipients of those five signed sneakers was Jabari Lewis, one of the directors of Sneaker Con, who has consigned his pair to Goldin Auctions, where it will sell this month. As of Tuesday evening, bidding had topped $1,500 with buyer’s premium.
Goldin’s Sneaker consignment director Jordan Geller noted while the sneakers are obviously polarizing, that isn’t all too out of the ordinary for the sneaker world.
“One of Nike's mantras when it comes to their advertising is when they advertise something, they want it to really affect you,” Geller said. “They want you to either love it or hate it.”
Lewis described the encounter with Trump in a letter of provenance, writing the former president gave “one of the greatest speeches of his career” before returning backstage to gift pairs of sneakers to directors of the event. “Before leaving he approached me and personally gave me a pair of the five signed shoes and looked at me and said, ’Thank you for making my dreams come true, and I hope this signed pair can be a great investment into your life somehow.’”
The sneakers, one of many limited-edition merch drops orchestrated by affiliates of the campaign, including digital trading cards and further apparel releases, have found a strong secondary market. Though none of the five signed family and friends pairs appear to have sold publicly, unsigned pairs have sold for more than $4,000 on eBay.
As soon as the sneakers were listed on Goldin’s site, Geller noticed an influx of attention, with dozens of viewers out of the gate.
The sneakers are accompanied by a photo of Trump signing the sneakers, which, given his past accusations of using autopen signatures, provide a layer of authenticity that might otherwise be lacking.
Lewis summed up how he felt about receiving the sneakers: “This shoe has changed my life in ways I couldn’t even imagine.”
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.