The Block: Former first lady Melania Trump releases first NFT on her new platform

Former first lady Melania Trump announced on Twitter Thursday that she is launching a non-fungible token (NFT) platform.

The first NFT for sale is a watercolor portrait of Trump’s eyes called “Melania’s Vision,” available for 1 SOL (~ $188 USD) between December 15 and December 31, 2021.

Trump also intends to release more NFTs in January 2022 and will allegedly donate some of the proceeds to children aging out of the foster care system.

Parler, a right wing social media platform, built Trump’s new NFT endeavor and provides ongoing operational infrastructure, site support, and marketing assistance, Parler CMO Christina Cravens told The Block.

"We’ve chosen the Solana blockchain for its flexible architecture, speed, stability, security, and environmental friendliness," Cravens added. "Solana also has low gas fees, bringing digital collectibles at various price points to serve a more diverse audience of collectors and investors. Parler is dedicated to freedom of expression and sees many synergies between the use of social media and blockchain to drive our mission forward."

Parler had come under fire earlier this year for its connection to the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot and faced difficulty remaining online as major web hosts like Amazon Web Services cut it off.

Trump's press release announcing the new platform stated that the crypto payment infrastructure firm MoonPay is facilitating credit card payments for Trump’s NFTs. However, MoonPay later clarified on Twitter that is not a partner and has "no official role" in Trump's new NFT platform. As a MoonPay spokesperson told The Block, "it is not possible to make credit card payments through MoonPay to purchase Melania Trump’s NFT collection."