Trump heavily booed as he hawks $600 branded shoes at Sneaker ...

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

Trump was met with loud boos as well as cheers at the Philadelphia Convention Centre on Saturday (US time) as he introduced what he called the first official Trump footwear.

The shoes, shiny gold high tops with an American flag detail on the back, are being sold as “Never Surrender High-Tops” for $US399 ($612) on a new website that also sells other Trump-branded shoes and “Victory47” cologne and perfume for $US99 a bottle. He would be the 47th president if elected again.

The website says it has no connection to Trump’s campaign, though Trump campaign officials promoted the appearance in online posts.

The unannounced launch came a day after a judge in New York ordered Trump and his company to pay $US355 million ($544 million) in penalties, finding that the former president lied about his wealth for years, scheming to dupe banks, insurers and others by inflating his wealth on financial statements.

That penalty came after Trump was ordered to pay an additional $US83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for damaging her reputation after she accused him of sexual assault. With interest payments, Trump’s legal debts might now exceed $US500 million — an amount it is unclear he can afford to pay.

Trump’s sneaker show appearance was met with clashing boos from his detractors and chants of “USA!” from supporters who arrived at the event decked out in Trump gear. The duelling chants made it difficult at times to hear Trump speak.

Some had been given signs that read, “SNEAKERHEADS LOVE TRUMP.”

“There’s a lot of emotion in this room,” Trump said of the reaction, after holding up and showing off a pair of gold shoes, then placing one on each side of his podium.

“This is something that I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years. And I think it’s going to be a big success,” he said.

As he spoke, the smell of weed occasionally wafted through the room.

Some of those who attended said they were unaware Trump would be there, and continued to shop as a crowd gathered around the stage. Many in the audience said they were not from the city and instead hailed from nearby states and Washington, DC.

The attendees skewed younger and more diverse than Trump’s usual rally crowds. His campaign is hoping he will be able to win over more young and minority voters, particularly young black men, in a probable rematch against President Joe Biden in November.

“The Never Surrender sneakers are your rally cry in shoe form,” the description reads. “Lace-up and step out ready to conquer.”

A Trump spokesman did not respond to questions about the event, including whether Trump was paid to attend.

Among those in the crowd were Trump supporters Jonathen Santiago, 21, and Danea Mitchell, 20.They said they were excited to see the former president and praised how he interacted with the crowd. They also had kind words for the sneakers.

“The red bottoms were a really nice touch,” Mitchell said.

She shrugged when asked about Trump’s legal troubles. “I think it’ll be an interesting four years if he’s found guilty, but I have no doubt he’ll be president,” she said.

Also in attendance was a group of “cheer moms” from New Jersey who said they were in town for a cheerleading event and decided to stop by for a chance to see Trump.

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.”

Trump flew from Philadelphia to Michigan, where he held a rally in the suburbs of Detroit and railed against Friday’s judgment, which he has vowed to appeal. Both Pennsylvania and Michigan are expected to be critical battleground states.

Later Trump lashed out at the New York judge who ruled he must pay $US354.9 million in penalties for fraudulently overstating his net worth to dupe lenders, telling thousands of supporters at a campaign rally the decision was an “election interference ploy.”

Addressing supporters for the first time since Justice Arthur Engoron hit him with massive financial penalties, Trump made the unsubstantiated claim that the judge was part of a left-wing conspiracy aimed at stopping him from becoming president again.

The former Republican president, the frontrunner for his party’s White House nomination, told a crowd in Michigan that “these repulsive abuses of power are not just an attack on me, they are an attack on all Americans”.

AP, Reuters

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