Well, it looks like Melania Trump‘s latest online auction was a total bust.
The ex-FLOTUS was auctioning off three items on her website: a hat she wore during an official White House state visit in 2018, a watercolor of herself wearing the hat, and a non-fungible token of the watercolor of herself wearing the hat. Bidding started at $250,000.
Related: Guess which former first lady just threw major shade at Melania Trump for auctioning off her hat
When Melania first announced the auction earlier this month, she said she would only accept payment via SOL, a cryptocurrency on the Solana platform. At the time, the value of a SOL was roughly $170. But by the time the auction ended on Tuesday, the value had dropped almost $100, to $93.
CNN reports:
While the minimum requirement of Solana tickets was met, the $250,000 threshold wasn’t met because over the last two weeks, almost the entirety of the auction, the crypto market has taken a massive dive, with values of various currencies falling 20, 30 or even 40%, as was the case with Solana (SOL.)
As a result of the lack of interest in Trump’s items, an inflated opening bid amount and a plunging market, the “Head of State Collection” — as Trump dubbed her lot — appears to have sold for about $170,000, $80,000 below the anticipated opening bid. CNN reached out to Trump’s spokesperson for comment on the auction.
Of course, $170,000 is still an absolutely insane amount of money for a hat (and a watercolor of a hat… and an NFT for the watercolor of the hat), but we’re sure Melania is still pissed it didn’t go for more. Also, she only got five bids, and we wouldn’t be surprised if they all came from the same person: her husband.
Related: Eric Trump issues “fraud alert” to followers and the responses are exactly what you’d expect
A portion of the disappointing sale will purportedly go to charity, though the former FLOTUS has declined several times to say exactly how much she intends to donate and how much she might deposit into an off-shore bank account.
As usual, Twitter has thoughts…
Melania was auctioning this hat for 250K but the highest cryptocurrency bid was around 155K. As Ivanka sneered, "155K? That won't even buy a Republican senator" pic.twitter.com/fZwbkUp8Gc
— Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) January 25, 2022
No one wanted to buy it. That’s what actually happened. There were 5 bids!
— Big Brain 🛎 (@BigBrain1234) January 27, 2022
Schadenfreude for breakfast! ?
Melania Trump’s Auction of Hat Hit by Plunge in Cryptocurrency https://t.co/WLTTimAFBp
— Betty Cracker ? (@bettycrackerfl) January 26, 2022
Melania Trump, the third lady auctioned her hat. I don't really care, do you?
— Eileen Marie Sarah (@EileenMarieSar1) January 26, 2022
#Melania's crypto hat auction was so successful, "Judge" Jeanine Pirro has decided to try a hat auction as well. (Thanks for the photo, @NotHoodlum ) pic.twitter.com/MndgMP4tUv
— Roundtown Girl Again (@RoundtownA) January 26, 2022
That’s OK, Donald will just get the RNC to cover the losses.
— Dawn ‘is the 2020 election over yet’ Ferrari (@DawnFerrari3) January 26, 2022
Melania’s hat and other items didn’t get any interest from her auction. I can’t recall any other First Lady selling state paid for items for profit. Will she try to sell the Whitehouse stolen towels next?
— Kevan Young (@KevanYoung2) January 27, 2022
I am shocked Melania's hat failed to meet minimum bid requirements. I know several of his ardent supporters in my area would gladly give her a 12 pack of Natty Lite and confederate flag for it. Art of the Deal. #BeBest #YardSale
— RedRiverDog (@REDRIVERDOG) January 27, 2022
Shortly after Melania announced the auction, Hillary Clinton took to Facebook to throw a little shade her way by sharing a throwback photo of herself rocking a beaded purple gown in the early ’90s.
“Some sparkle from right around this time of year, 1993,” Clinton wrote. Then came the kicker. “This dress lives at the Smithsonian now!”
The Smithsonian has an entire exhibit dedicated to clothing and accessories worn by former first ladies. It includes things like Abigail Adams’ silk taffeta dress from the early 1780s, Eleanor Roosevelt’s inaugural reception gown, and Jackie O’s pearl necklace.
Of course, Melania has never been one to honor tradition. Nor has she ever been one to turn down an opportunity to make a few bucks. Unfortunately, she didn’t make as many as she was hoping for this time around.
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
Mr. Stadnick
Losers the whole bunch of them are losers. They are crass criminals. May she lead a long and miserable life.
SamB
Again, Melania donated her inaugural gown to the Smithsonian just like Hillary, so there is no smackdown.
white-queer-african
Sad and pathetic SammyBbbbb!!!!
U were almost first in the queue to defend the indefensible.
Sorryyyyy, NOT. lol
Cam
@SamB
The right wing troll account DESPERATE to deflect from the actual topic. Which is, even Trump fans are getting burned out and won’t pony up the cash they used to.
Nobody cares about them.
Bosch
Every first lady’s inaugural gown goes to the Smithsonian. You should brag about something unique, like how Melania did a softcore erotica photoshoot with lesbian overtones, two decades before sitting atop a party of homophobes.
SamB
Bosch: I’m not bragging. This article is trying to imply that Hillary donated her gown, but Melania didn’t donate anything.
Bosch
I think the point they’re making is that it’s not quite proper for the first lady to be accepting money for these things. Normally, when someone such as the first lady holds an auction, the proceeds go entirely to named charities.
SamB
Bosch: It’s not shocking, we’re talking about some nasty people here. Hillary is no angel though, just look into allegations against her “charity”, The Clinton Foundation. What I keep saying is if you hold one group of people accountable for indiscretions, then you have to do the same to the other.
DCFarmboy
Allegations against the Clinton Foundation? What, other than they raised money for charity?
SamB
DCFarmboy: I can’t copy/paste links here but google it. Everyone should do their own research, you don’t have to agree with it, but I think there’s enough out there to be suspicious of.
martyvl
I think you really need to get your head out of your ass….. or tRUMPS.
mailliw110
Not even Miss Graham wanted the hat.
Fname Optional Lname
are we sure Miss Graham didn’t have the winning bid?
Jim
Don’t ya hate it when a grifter and an unsuccessful grift?
Cam
They can’t even get the wealthy Trump donors and Republicans to support their grifts anymore. And Melania and Donald are so broke they’re trying to have a garage sale to get spending money.
Paris in Santiago
Oh Cam! Great idea! If the trumps had a garage sale, what would we find?
Kangol2
@Paris in Santiago, we’d find crass trash!
Mack
I’m surprised the right wing troll with all the screen names didn’t bid on it himself because he loves all things “Trump”. But then again he probably did but couldn’t afford the price.
Prax07
I wouldn’t be surprised if the hooker tried getting some currency from the Smithsonian for her dress. “But it needs to be cleaned before I gift it to you, I’ll need 250000 trumpcoins for dry cleaning.” Trash, every last Trump.
Beanie16
Wish I had had the money to throw away I’d have bought it just to take pics of other whores like her wearing it. Imagine a gallery of crack whores wearing her hat. I would call the collection “A hat fit for a Whore”
whereshouldistart
How about “BEST LITTLE WHORE IN THE WHITEHOUSE”?
Cam
Oh My God………brilliant.
Essie
“Jackie O” was never the First Lady of the U.S. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy was the First Lady from 1961 until 1963. But, given the tone of most of what is written here, it really doesn’t matter.
Bosch
You’re gonna wanna sit down for this…
Those two people are the same person.
Ginger Tom
This should come as no surprise. We are looking here at a really nasty piece of work and the hat is pretty terrible too.
Bosch
I’m 110% certain that Donny made her sell these things.
whereshouldistart
This gold-digging qunt would auction off her used tampons if she thought she could make a dime.
Kevan1
That is next.
Jack
Nothing sadder than a golddigger in an empty mine.
Cam
If she was a better goldigger she would have found someone with more gold.
HankHarris
I wonder if trump got her at a discount too; her status as a ‘supermodel’ was inflated too.
Fname Optional Lname
5 bids? How many Trump children are there?
CNY1983
One time a doctor gave me A HAT JUST LIKE THAT and tole me to shit in it and then put a sample of the shit in a little container and give it to the nurse. She thought she could get money from something that looked just like that? maybe in slovenia, or slovakia but not here dear.