Reality TV star turned one-term president Donald Trump could probably use a pair of comfortable shoes these days. Given a judge’s decision Friday that he must pay a $355 million civil fraud penalty—plus interest—and last month’s $83 million ruling against him in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, one can only assume that he’s feeling a pinch. 

But the disgraced “university” founder doesn’t appear to be sliding on his latest offering to the public, a pair of gold, Trump-branded sneakers unveiled at a Philadelphia sneaker convention Saturday. The gold high tops retail for $399, but unlike other shoes with a deeply problematic figurehead, its pitchman doesn’t claim to have a hand in their creation or distribution, nor do they come from any recognizable brand.

The shoes made their debut at the Philadelphia Convention Center Saturday, part of the global traveling event Sneaker Con, a multi-stop convention for fans of athletic footwear and those who wish to part those fans from their money. In what the Associated Press termed an “unusual stop,” the Republican presidential candidate took the stage to shill the shoes, made by a mysterious company called 45Footwear LLC, which appears to be a Wyoming-based LLC that established its existence on January 31, 2024. 

“This is something I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years, and I think it’s going to be a big success,” Trump said from the stage.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. I have some incredible people that work with me on things, and they came up with this...and I think it’s gonna be a big success.”

According to GetTrumpSneakers, the website used to tout the “Never Surrender High-Tops,” “Trump Sneakers are not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals.” Instead, “45Footwear, LLC, uses the Trump name, image, and likeness under a license agreement.” In fact, the company disavows the president’s campaign, even as it urges potential customers to “be part of history” by buying the shoes. “GetTrumpSneakers.com is not political and has nothing to do with any presidential campaign,” its footer reads. 

Sure, if you say so.

“It’s very important, what’s the most important thing? To go out and vote, we have got to go out and vote. We’ve got to get young people out to vote, and you’re going to vote and we’re going to turn this thing around...and we’re going to remember the young people, and we’re going to remember Sneaker Con,” the GOP frontrunner said while promoting the avowedly apolitical footwear.

According to the website for the shoes, “With a standout gold finish and the ‘T’ badge, these kicks are for true Patriots. Wrapped with an American flag on the collar, they shout out to the brave and the free.” 

True patriots, then, would be wise to take note of the United States Flag Code. The non-binding federal law states, “The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water.” In addition, the code states that “The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.” Finally, it “should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever,” nor should it “ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform.” Can one truly make America great again while ignoring these long-established rules? 

According to the shoes’ website, only 1000 pairs of the gold high tops will be made, but it’s unclear where the shoes (or the two other styles of Trump-themed sneakers on the site, which are “shown are for illustration purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the product”) will be manufactured. Trump didn’t make mention of their country of origin, nor does the maker’s website specify. On a subsequent campaign stop in Michigan Saturday, the former president warned that it's support of President Joe Biden that poses the greatest threat to US-based industry, not endorsement of shady, three-week-old LLCs. 

“A vote for Biden is a vote to send tens of thousands of Michigan jobs to China and other places that we don’t want them to go,” the Michigan Advance quotes Trump as saying at a Saturday rally in a Waterford Township hangar. “A vote for Trump is a vote to keep those manufacturing jobs in America and add a lot of jobs,”