PHILADELPHIA — Former President Donald Trump made a brief stop in Philadelphia on Saturday to announce his new sneaker brand and remind a crowd of sneakerheads to vote.
Just hours before a planned campaign rally in Michigan, Trump took the stage for less than 10 minutes at Sneaker Con in the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Branding itself as the “Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth,” the multicity event came to Philadelphia for the second time this year.
“He is someone who you would have not thought or guessed would have joined the sneaker community,” said Chase Young, founder of Philadelphia footwear and apparel company Culture Kicks, introducing Trump to the crowd. “Never in our nation’s history has a U.S. president released their own sneaker, but today, right here, right now, it’s happening.”
Trump, the current front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, walked onto the stage to the song “God Bless the U.S.A.” He held up one of his sneakers and expressed appreciation for the turnout.
His remarks were brief and barely audible over a crowd of mixed cheers and boos, as well as chants of “U.S.A.” and a loud and profane anti-President Joe Biden chant. Signs reading “Sneakerheads Love Trump” were scattered throughout the room, with the website for Trump’s new sneaker brand at the bottom. A group of supporters cheered from the area closest to the stage.
Acknowledging that the crowd was “a slightly different audience than I’m used to,” Trump then spotted a person from near the stage wearing a Trump 2024 sweatshirt and told her to join him at the podium.
“We need him. He’s a Christian. He’s a good, honest man,” Donna Bernhard said into the microphone.
The Lancaster County resident said afterward that she did not expect to be pulled from the crowd. She said she hadn’t planned to attend Sneaker Con until she found out on Friday night that Trump would be there.
Courtney Kasser, 47, and her 13-year-old son Matthew, of Malvern, were thinking they might attend Sneaker Con, but once they learned Saturday morning that Trump would be there, it tipped the scales toward going. Courtney Kasser said she would likely support Trump if he secured the GOP nomination, but added that her teenage son was the bigger fan.
“I like what he wants to do for America,” Matthew said. About the Trump sneaker, he said, “It’s cool how he’s the first president to come out with one.”
“It was interesting to see people’s reaction to him, positive and definitely some negative reactions,” Courtney Kasser said. “My favorite part really was ‘Proud to be an American.’ When they played that song, that was the best part for me.”
It was Trump’s second appearance in Pennsylvania in just more than a week. He spoke in Harrisburg on Feb. 9 at a National Rifle Association gathering, where thousands of supporters filled the crowd. Biden has also visited Pennsylvania multiple times this year.
Trump’s Sneaker Con appearance comes the day after he was dealt a massive financial blow. A judge in New York ordered him and his companies to pay $355 million, finding that they engaged in a yearslong scheme to dupe banks and others with financial statements that inflated his wealth.
After news broke Friday night of Trump’s planned appearance, Sneaker Con organizers released the following statement on social media: ”Sneaker Con’s mission is to support and promote sneaker culture through our worldwide live events and digital platforms. We are thankful and appreciative of the sneaker community, and recognize individuals who generate awareness and authentic sneaker-related engagement toward our community.”
While some came to Sneaker Con for Trump, plenty came more for the shoes, apparel, and sneaker culture.
Kahron Hogans Jr. and his father, Kahron Hogans Sr., drove from New York for the event. Hogans Jr. was promoting his own brand, L.A.B., (for “life’s a blur”). They were surprised when they heard Trump would be at the event. Hogans Jr. said that “I don’t hate him,” but that the country seemed divided when he was president, and seems to be even more so now.
“I’m sure he was just trying to appeal to the sneaker culture,” Hogans Jr. said. “He has his own crisp pair of sneakers coming out, so that’s pretty cool. I did not expect that.”
Hogans Jr. said he would have been more impressed if Trump had “mingled with the sneaker culture” crowd.
Bryana Davis, 18, drove to Sneaker Con from North Jersey with a friend “to help him buy sneakers” and bought a pair for herself, too. She didn’t watch Trump’s appearance. “I’m not his biggest fan, but it’s cool,” she said.
Davis was surprised to learn that the former president had come out with his own sneaker. “I think that’s dope,” she said.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
