Melania Trump Auctions Off Her Infamous White Hat For $250,000

Former First Lady Melania Trump has announced that she is auctioning off a collection of White House memorabilia, including the white hat she wore in April 2018 commemorating French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the United States.

The centerpiece of the auction, the custom Herve Pierre white hat, was created to match Melania’s $2,105 Michael Kors collection suit that she wore during the daytime ceremonies at the White House attended by the French president and First Lady Brigitte Macron.

Melania's appearance in the white hat came just weeks after news headlines focused on the former president's alleged extramarital affairs with former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film actor Stormy Daniels. The French first family's visit was one of the first times Melania had appeared with her husband following the news about her marriage.

The Herve Pierre hat will be sold along with a watercolor painting by French artist Marc-Antoine Coulon and a non-fungible token (NFT) with motion as part of Trump’s “The Head of State Collection.”

“The Head of State Collection commemorates the Trump Administration’s first official state visit and features three important one-of-a-kind signed items,” the press release posted by Mrs. Trump read.

The online-only auction will be held from Jan. 11 to 25 with a starting bid of $250,000 or 1415.86 in SOL cryptocurrency.

The auction follows the former first lady’s first foray into the world of NFTS in mid-December when she first announced the selling of a digital artwork of her eyes, which was also designed by Coulon. The watercolor drawing went up for sale for $150.

Part of the proceeds from Melania’s NFT and the “Head of State” collection will go to her “Fostering the Future” initiative which gives children who have been in the foster care system, access to “computer science and technology education.” It is unclear how much of the proceeds will be donated.

Soon after the announcement of the auction, many social media users took to Twitter to mock Melania’s plans. One Twitter user referred to the Trumps as “grifters” for only giving a portion of the auction’s proceeds to the “Fostering the Future” initiative.

“I prefer First Ladies who give ALL the proceeds to charity rather than “a portion of”. #GriftersGonnaGrift,” the tweet read.

Another Twitter user suggested that the Trumps were holding the auction because they needed money. “They are desperate for cash,” the user wrote.

A preview of the items to be auctioned became available on the former first lady’s website Tuesday.