As he closes in on the Republican presidential nomination, former President Donald Trump made a highly unusual stop Saturday, hawking new Trump-branded sneakers at “Sneaker Con,” a gathering that bills itself as the “The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth.”

Trump was met with loud boos as well as cheers at the Philadelphia Convention Center as he introduced what he called the first official Trump footwear.

The shoes, gold lame high tops with an American flag detail on the back, are being sold as “Never Surrender High-Tops” for $399 on a new website that also sells Trump-branded “Victory47” cologne and perfume for $99 a bottle. He’d be the 47th president if elected again.

Biden-Harris 2024 Communications Director Michael Tyler slammed the appearance, saying: “Donald Trump showing up to hawk bootleg Off-Whites is the closest he’ll get to any Air Force Ones ever again for the rest of his life.”

    • DrMango
      link
      119 months ago

      You would think by now AML investigators from every corner of the globe would be watching this guy’s accounts like a hawk with a microscope.

      I know that sometimes tracing cashflow is a delicate art, but it can definitely be done, especially if you are working with government-level resources

      • @ralphio
        link
        69 months ago

        I don’t think this type of scheme is even illegal which is the main problem.

        • DrMango
          link
          19 months ago

          There are indeed many forms of money laundering which are considered illegal in America, and it is absolutely illegal if someone is accepting funds derived from illicit activity or sanctioned entities (like Russia). The government and most financial institutions generally take the stance that there are very few good reasons to obscure the ultimate source of funds, and so tend to be very risk-averse with such activity.

          The trick is in confirming anything illicit is going on when there are potentially dozens of steps and borders in between the source and the recipient.