CNN’s Jake Tapper suggests Trump could pay for legal fees with sneaker sales

CNN host Jake Tapper on Sunday suggested former President Trump could pay for his mounting legal fees with sales from his newly unveiled line of sneakers.

Trump was ordered Friday to pay $355 million in penalties plus interest in a New York civil fraud case, which came on top of a jury ordering him to pay $83.3 million for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll last month. Tapper suggested that Trump could raise money for his legal bills by selling the $400 sneakers the former president unveiled at Philadelphia’s Sneaker Con event on Saturday.

“Here’s one possibility. He’s now selling $400 gold-branded shoes. There they are. He went to, I think a sneaker convention in maybe, in Philadelphia, was it? … I don’t know if he’s trying to raise money for his legal bills or [if] this is just another branding opportunity,” Tapper said during a panel when discussing how Trump will pay for his legal bills.

“But he does make a lot of money off of branding. I think somebody bought an autographed pair last night there for several thousand dollars,” he added.

Trump debuted a line of tennis shoes called Trump Sneakers during his speech at Sneaker Con on Saturday, which includes two different pairs of shoes. The gold-colored, high-top pair with the letter T on the side panel starts at $399, while the other pair, priced at $199, comes in two colors, according to the website.

“This is something I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years,” Trump said Saturday. “And I think it’s gonna be a big success. Your influences have been very positive. They’ve been real influences, and they love it, and they love what we’ve done.” 

The website notes that none of the items listed, which also include perfume and cologne, are connected to the former president’s presidential campaign or the Trump Organization. The website says Trump’s name, image and likeness were licensed to CIC Ventures LLC.