Entries related to Melania Trump

July 20, 2023

Melania Trump's space NFTs likely violate NASA policy

A photo of Buzz Aldrin in a space suit on the surface of the moon, superimposed on an iPod Nano-esque object where the screen would be

Man on the Moon NFT (attribution)

Melania Trump doesn't seem willing to let the flop of her first NFT project, which ended with her allegedly buying the NFT herself, slow her down. She's just announced a line of Apollo 11-themed NFTs, because apparently our former first lady is a big space buff. The Man on the Moon NFTs sell for $75 each, and feature a 1969 photo of Buzz Aldrin on the moon surface, bizarrely superimposed on what appears to be a 2007-era iPod Nano.

As a photo produced by a federal agency, NASA's image is not copyrighted. However, NASA policy outlines "strict laws and regulations", including that "NASA is not approving any merchandising applications involving Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), as they are not consistent with the categories of products the agency is approved to merchandise... NASA does not wish for its images to be used in connection with NFTs."

The NFTs don't seem to be exactly flying off the shelves. The collection contains 500 copies, and according to the website, only 55 have been sold in the week following the project's release, garnering Mrs. Trump $4,125.

"Melania Trump Has Released an Apollo 11-Themed NFT That May Violate NASA’s Merchandising Policy", ArtNet

March 1, 2022

Far-right social network Parler launches an NFT platform where you have to pay with credit cards

An illustration of Donald Trump wearing rhinestone sunglasses and a rhinestoned tuxedo and bow tie, in front of rhinestoned text reading "TRUMP"

CryptoTrump (attribution)

You might think if Parler was going to create an NFT celebrating their hero, they wouldn't include along with their promotional material the example most reminiscent of Milo Yiannopoulos, the man who's been so effectively deplatformed that he's had to resort to selling statues of the Virgin Mary on a home shopping TV channel. On March 1, the far-right social network Parler announced their "CryptoTrump" NFTs, which will sell on their "DeepRedSky" NFT platform. The platform is built on the Solana blockchain, and has already helped Melania Trump "sell" (wash trade) her NFTs. Their inaugural project is a collection of 250 algorithmically-generated Trump NFTs, which will sell for $2,750 each and eventually be part of a collection of 10,000 items.

Although Parler's press release contains a lot of their usual chest-thumping about "freedom from Big Tech", the DeepRedSky NFTs can only be minted with credit cards, with payments being processed through Stripe. The good news: if you aren't getting enough of a rush out of the risks involved with crypto in general, you can get a new thrill from giving your personal information to a platform that's been hacked multiple times.

"Parler Launches NFT Marketplace With New Trump NFTs", Forbes

January 26, 2022

Melania Trump apparently wash trades her own NFT

Watercolor associated with the NFT (attribution)

Melania Trump launched a new NFT in January, following her December unveiling of the series. The January NFT involved a white hat that Ms. Trump wore during a state visit, as well as a watercolor painting of her wearing it. The press release announcing it also announced that the opening bid would be "the equivalent of $250,000", or around 1,800 SOL. Ultimately the auction drew only a few bids, all around the starting price. A Vice investigation subsequently found that the winning buyer bought the NFT with funds that came from the same address that had created the NFT to begin with. Pesky public transaction records...

"Analyzing the Very Bizarre Sale of Melania Trump’s $170,000 NFT", Vice

December 16, 2021

Melania Trump announces an NFT collection which will begin with a painting of her "cobalt blue eyes"

A watercolor painting of Melania Trump's eyes and eyebrows

"Melania's Vision" NFT (attribution)

Lest it be mistaken for a grift, the press release was quick to say that Mrs. Trump had promised to donate a portion of the proceeds to children leaving foster care. The NFT platform is "powered by Parler", a far-right social network. Trump intends to release multiple NFTs, and the first will have a starting price of 1 SOL (approximately $150). Solana Labs was quick to clarify that the "project is not part of any Solana-led initiative".

"Melania Trump Pitches NFT Plans; ‘Cobalt Blue Eyes’ Captivate Crypto Twitter", Coindesk
"Solana Labs Distances Itself From Melania Trump’s NFT Project", Decrypt
"Melania Trump launches NFT business, promising 'an amulet to inspire'", The Guardian

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