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Americans learned Thursday that Donald Trump is going into the digital trading card business, an announcement that had the internet laughing and even some ardent Trump supporters shaking their heads.
Three members of the USA TODAY Opinion team had some thoughts on this bizarre development:
Have you ever wanted to throw $99 in a fire, just to watch it burn?
Well you’re in luck. Former President Donald Trump, a leading candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination (and for federal indictment), made what he called a “MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT” Thursday: He’s selling cartoonish $99 digital trading cards that show him in various states of ludicrousness.
The cards all feature a noticeably trimmer version of Trump, with the exception of his hands, which appear larger than his actual mouse-paw-like mitts. One has the man who somehow was president of the United States of America in superhero regalia with lasers shooting from his eyes. Another shows him wearing a cowboy hat and what looks like military fatigues. And one that should carry a “may spark gag reflex” warning shows him winking.
Trump is clearly playing off the “Dark Brandon” superhero meme liberals have used to joke about President Joe Biden’s successes. But Biden’s team didn’t create that meme, and they certainly didn’t try to monetize it.
Having already declared his candidacy for president, Trump’s much-trumpeted (by him) announcement had supporters and critics alike curious. When we learned it was simply the announcement of Trump’s latest money-making gambit, the reaction was, for supporters, a bit of a sad trombone, and for critics, approximately 20 minutes of nonstop laughter.
