Op-ed by Summer Lane | Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump did something fresh and new on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he showed up at “Sneaker Con,” a gathering of young and vibrant entrepreneurs pitching the latest and greatest footwear in America.
The president unveiled a pair of golden “Never Surrender High Tops” onstage, where he spoke for just a few minutes to an energetic crowd filled with young people who chanted “USA” and “F*** JOE BIDEN!”
The product website for the shoes also included pairs of white and red sneakers with varying designs. The “Never Surrender High Tops” sold out within hours on Saturday, following the unprecedented launch at the sneaker convention.
The sneakers drew the attention of both supporters and critics of the president, but one thing was for sure: everyone took notice, and it’s a good reminder that despite the swirling chaos that has permeated the 2024 election cycle, Donald Trump is, ultimately, a strong businessman.
In his bestselling 1987 book, “The Art of the Deal,” he wrote, “You can have the most wonderful product in the world, but if people don’t know about it, it’s not going to be worth much.”
Trump is a master of messaging, and he has clearly stamped his unmistakable brand across every area of his political platform – bright, blazing, and impossible to miss. While his brand before politics was centered on luxury, hotels, and even reality television, his brand has made a remarkable pivot over the last few years.
Millions of Americans immediately have a double-association with President Trump. He is both the man who built Trump Tower and the man who ran for president in 2016, upsetting beleaguered Hillary Clinton in a historic presidential victory. He is the man who reshaped the New York City skyline and he is also the man who dined with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Forbidden City.
Trump’s brand is America First and MAGA – it’s a clear, concise, and common-sense call to return to populist policies that work and bring people closer together rather than drive them apart.
While legal battles may be getting a lot of attention in the mainstream media, salacious outlets pay far less attention to Trump’s business success, his definitively run real estate empire, and his latest creative ventures.
He has previously sold three rounds of digital trading cards, for example, which have played to a fun and modern side of his brand. He made nearly $5 million selling collectible NFT digital trading cards in April 2023, and in December 2023, he dropped another batch of “Mugshot Edition” cards that were extremely popular with supporters.
What’s more, he has successfully transferred his brand into his free speech social media platform, Truth Social, which stands to expand exponentially once an anticipated merger between Digital World Acquisition Corp. and Trump Media & Technology Group takes place. Some experts have speculated that the president may even make billions off the business combination, once it’s completed.
While bitter critics turn their noses up at the gold, glittering “Never Surrender” sneakers, businessmen and women can take a lesson. Nobody understands their brand and the power that it holds better than Donald Trump, and his latest capitalistic venture proves it.