ART OF THE DEAL

Melania Trump’s Hat Auction Gets Just 5 Bids, Will Likely Lose $80K

The former first lady only accepted bids in a cryptocurrency that has seen its trading price tumble.

Melania Trump is set to lose out on tens of thousands of dollars after a crash in the cryptocurrency market unfortunately coincided with her attempting to auction off one of her stylish hats. The New York Times reports that the former first lady was trying to hawk a white hat she wore to greet French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House in 2018, alongside a watercolor of her wearing it and an NFT that shows an animated recreation of her sporting the lovely wide-brimmed hat. Bids were only accepted in a cryptocurrency called SOL, and Trump initially set the minimum bids at the equivalent of around $250,000, but SOL has seen its trading price get slashed since the auction was created. The Times reports that only five bids had been made as of Tuesday evening, with the top offers standing at a cash equivalent of $170,000—far below the minimum bid.