As a Trump watcher, I was very interested in the “major announcement” that the former president said he was going to make a couple of days ago. Would it involve comment on his ongoing relations with anti-semites and white supremacists? Would it involve comment about one or more of his ongoing legal battles? Had Trump picked up an early surprise endorsement? Was he scheduling an international trip or a set of major appearances around the US?
No.
The major announcement involved—drumroll, please–the introduction of Trump trading cards. Yes, Super Hero Trading cards. You know, with Trump’s head poorly photo-shopped onto images of a laser-visioned superhero (with a T on his chest revealed under his Armani suit), a cowboy, a sheriff, etc. Each one a mere $99. Each available as an NFT, a Non-Fungible Token, which assures digitally that each card is one-of-a-kind.
Remembering the fun of collecting baseball cards as a kid, I thought that I might just go out and pick up a set, and then I realized…no bubble gum. Forget about it.
This is the sort of “major announcement” that reminds us of the total emptiness of this man’s larger vision, a worldview that goes no further than his colossally large ego allows. Donald, whenever we set the bar low, you find a way of falling so far below it that it we’re sure that you have hit bottom. But I feel absolutely certain that greater depths are sure to follow.
So here I was basking in schadenfreude, telling myself that this time no one, not even the My Pillow guy will take this fool seriously again. Then I read that in two days the cards have reportedly sold out, that rarer images are going for as much as $24,000 apiece.
I wince, but then I catch myself and take a deep breath. Remember, I tell myself, people are also shelling out big bucks for memorabilia from the Titanic.