Donald Trump has introduced his line of sneakers shortly after a court ruling fined him $354.9 million for misleading lenders about his net worth.
“I’ve wanted to do this a long time,” Trump said at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia, where he unveiled the first official Trump footwear amidst mixed reactions from the crowd.
The shoes, priced at $399, are shiny gold high tops featuring an American flag detail.
They’re sold alongside Trump-branded Victory47 cologne and perfume on a new website.
Trump faced criticism from Justice Arthur Engoron, the judge who ordered the hefty fine for financial fraud, prompting Trump to lash out, claiming it was an “election interference ploy.”
He accused Engoron of being part of a “left-wing conspiracy” to prevent him from running for president again and reiterated his baseless claims of election fraud in 2020.
The ruling also barred Trump from holding positions in New York corporations for three years, with the judge remarking on Trump’s lack of remorse.
New York Attorney General Letitia James had accused him of inflating his net worth by billions over a decade to secure better loan terms.
Now he faces multiple criminal trials, including one over alleged hush money payments to a porn star, making him the first former US president to stand trial on criminal charges.
While Trump maintains his lead in the Republican presidential nomination race, his legal battles have drawn criticism from rivals like Nikki Haley, who questioned his ability to effectively govern amidst the turmoil.
Haley, Trump’s main rival for the nomination, highlighted his ongoing legal troubles and criticized his silence on the death of Alexei Navalny, Russia’s opposition leader, accusing him of siding with Putin.
Despite challenges from Haley and others, he remains the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, setting the stage for a potential rematch with Joe Biden in the general election.
