When Donald Trump walked into a Georgia courthouse on August 24 to be booked as part of his fourth criminal indictment, becoming the first former president (and only current presidential candidate) to have a mugshot taken, the picture seemed destined to become a symbol of this fraught, unprecedented moment in American history. As has become increasingly clear, however, Trump and his team have come to see the mug shot in a different way. Specifically, as the source material for a new strain of political pop culture mythmaking and memorabilia. Almost overnight they splashed the image, with Trump's signature glower, across mugs, t-shirts and posters in their campaign store, using it and all it represents as a key component of their fundraising. Then, this week, NFT INT, the official licensee of the Trump name and image for digital trading cards, began selling a special "Mugshot Edition" NFT set that includes, for a certain few willing to buy the whole thing, pieces of the blue suit and red tie Trump wore in the photo. Cards can be bought individually for $99 or as a full set that runs for $4,653 and includes a physical trading card (some of which will be signed by Trump) with a swatch of suit fabric and an invitation to dinner at Mar-a-Lago. There are suit pieces for 2,024 buyers (because, you know, election year) and enough tie pieces for 225.
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