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By Benjamin Lynch
US Politics and National Affairs Reporter
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Pairs of golden sneakers from Donald Trump's range are selling for thousands of dollars on eBay.
One set of the high tops, promoted by Trump during the Sneaker Con event the Philadelphia Convention Center on February 17, have been listed on the auction website for $7,500. Trump also shared screenshots of his sneakers for sale to his Truth Social media platform, along with an article headline saying that all 1,000 pairs had sold out.
The "Never Surrender High-Tops" were released by the former president just one day after a New York judge ordered he must pay $354.9 million in penalties after being found liable for business fraud.
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None of the pairs currently selling on eBay are one of the 10 randomly signed by Trump. The pair selling for $7,500 is a pre-order item that buyers must "accept to wait until August 2024 to receive," according to the item description from the Florida-based seller.
Trump was met with some boos as he promoted the shoes—originally available for $399—and the accompanying website at Sneaker Con. "Wow, lot of emotion. There's a lot of emotion in this room," Trump said of the reaction, according to clips posted on social media.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told Newsweek on Sunday that Trump "wasn't booed." In fact, Trump "had a hero's welcome because everybody knows Crooked Joe Biden is done," Cheung said.
Michael Tyler, a campaign spokesperson for President Joe Biden, said in a statement according to CNN that Trump's sneaker promotions were "the closest he'll get to any Air Force Ones ever again for the rest of his life," referring also to the name of a Nike sneaker.
Newsweek has approached a Trump spokesperson for comment via email outside of working hours.
The Trump sneakers website is also selling some more moderately priced "Victory 47" perfume and cologne for $99—Trump would be the 47th president if he were to win the next presidential election—and red and white sneakers for $199. These products can currently be pre-ordered only.
The "GetTrumpSneakers" website says it is "not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign."
Previous calculations by Newsweek show approximately 889,725 pairs of the high tops would have to be sold for Trump to pay off the $354.9 million penalty handed down by Judge Arthur Engoron.
But the former president would have to sell about 1,127,820 shoes to pay off the final sum that New York Attorney General Letitia James said Trump will end up paying overall. "Donald Trump and the other defendants are ordered to pay more than $450 million in total, which represents $363.8 million in disgorgement and pre-judgment interest," James, who brought the suit against Trump and the Trump Organization, said.
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James' suit said Trump and his two adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, The Trump Organization and two firm executives, Allen Weisselberg and Jeff McConney, fraudulently overstated the value of assets to deceive lenders.
Donald Jr. and Eric must pay $4 million each and are barred from doing business in New York for two years. Weisselberg was ordered to pay $1 million.
The Trump Organization is prevented from applying for loans in New York for three years. Trump himself is also banned from taking out bank loans in New York and serving as company director for three years.
"Justice has been served," James said. "This is a tremendous victory for this state, this nation, and for everyone who believes that we all must play by the same rules—even former presidents."
Trump lawyer Christopher Kise told Newsweek: "The Court today ignored the law, ignored the facts, and simply signed off on the Attorney General's manifestly unjust political crusade against the front-running candidate for President of the United States."
The Trump legal team has indicated the judge's ruling will be appealed.
In January, Trump was ordered to pay an additional $83.3 million for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, on top of a $5-million sexual assault and defamation verdict last year in a case brought by Carroll.
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