The man who paid $9,000 for an autographed pair of golden sneakers from Donald Trump said he’s been invited to meet the former president and has already been offered more than double what he paid for the kicks.
Roman Sharf, the founder and CEO of luxury watch dealer Luxury Bazaar, told Piers Morgan on Wednesday that he was shocked at the outrage over the purchase.
“First and foremost I didn’t realize the internet and media was going to throw up over a sneakerhead buying a pair of sneakers,” Sharf said.
“I am a sneakerhead, I’m a big Trump fan and I put the two together and I said, you know what, nine grand is not that bad a price,” he said — adding that he’s already been offered $20,000 for the exclusive sneakers.
Sharf said he was also upset with initial reports that said he was a Russian oligarch when in fact he was born in Ukraine, is a US citizen and a military veteran.
“Your Daily Mail UK, the ones that dubbed me the Russian oligarch, have since apologized and changed the title to ‘Ukranian businessman,’” Sharf said of the British tabloid.
“I’m just a man that likes sneakers that likes Trump, that bought a pair of sneakers and the world went crazy,” he said.
“The worst part about this whole drama is that it once again showed how divided has become over political issues,” Sharf added.
Sharf won Trump’s golden “Never Surrender high-tops” after placing a winning bid of $9,000 at Philadelphia’s Sneaker Con on Saturday.
The ex-president announced the launch of the sneakers, which are part of his new shoe line, during a surprise appearance at the event.
Sharf has since been invited by Trump to visit him at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. He was driving to the residence while speaking on the phone with Morgan.
He doesn’t plan on wearing the shoes during the meeting since they don’t fit, but he’s bringing them with him in the box.
“They’re very, very Donald Trump,” Sharf said as he held up the bedazzled kicks to the camera.
Sharf said he’s “going to have a regular conversation with” Trump — and wants to ask him what his strategy is to defeat President Biden in November.
A regular pair of the shoes, which feature an American flag detail on the back, cost $399. Limited to just 1000 pairs, the sneakers sold out in less than two hours.
Trump’s shoe line also includes a low-top style in either “T-Red” or “POTUS” white, both with a golden “45” on the side, which sell for $199.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” the GOP frontrunner told the crowd.
“I have some incredible people that work with me on things, and they came up with this, and this is something I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years. I think it’s gonna be a big success.”