Donald Trump’s New Sneaker Features a Photo of His Assassination Attempt—and It's Already Selling Out
Pairs of the FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT High Tops are currently listed on eBay for thousands of dollars.
By Tres Dean
July 17, 2024
There’s no such thing as bad press when you’re selling limited-edition kicks. Brands like MSCHF, with their intentionally meme-able takes on sneakers, know this as well as anyone. It doesn’t matter if the shoe is ugly. If the headlines surrounding it hit, it’ll sell out. Former President Donald Trump took this sentiment to the next level back in February, launching a series of signature sneakers at the Philadelphia stop of SneakerCon. The response both in-person and online was…mixed at best, but the shoes practically flew off of the website where people could buy them. They immediately became the sort of vaguely cursed collector’s item that transcended politics, with one pair reselling on eBay for $9,000. Crucially, these shoes launched just a day after Trump lost a civil fraud case in New York City and was ordered to pay $450 million in damages.
Trump’s latest sneaker (three words I cannot believe I just typed) utilizes the same ethos: turn press into profit. Just days after a failed assassination attempt on the former president on July 13, Trump has launched his latest sneakers: the FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT High Tops. Featuring a similar shape and construction as the Nike Blazer or Vans Sk8-Hi, the white FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT silhouette is emblazoned with an American Flag print around the ankle cuff and a gold tongue tab. More notably though, the shoe’s upper displays a now-infamous image of Trump moments after the failed assassination attempt, anchored by the words FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT. While it’s far from a Sneaker of the Year contender, the shoe accomplishes what it sets out to: capitalizing on a moment of controversy and leaning into polarizing political fandom to the tune of $1.5 million if (or rather when) the shoe sells out.
Like the prior releases from Trump Sneakers, these shoes are clearly marketed as a collector’s item rather than a pair of daily beaters. The new silhouette is limited to 5,000 pairs, with some sizes already sold out just hours after the launch. On top of that, a random 10 pairs will be signed by President Trump, only adding to the fervor surrounding the drop. Reporters have noted that in the days since the assassination attempt, “memorabilia” from the Butler, PA rally at which it took place has been surging on eBay, with everything from parking passes to counterfeit ticket stubs fetching high price tags. Sure enough, pairs of the FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT High Tops are already listed on the site for thousands of dollars–despite the fact that they aren’t even going to ship until September.
https://www.gq.com/story/donald-trump-fight-fight-fight-sneakers