CEO wins autographed golden Donald Trump sneakers after $9K bid

A luxury watch dealer CEO came out the big winner at Philadephia’s Sneaker Con Saturday, taking home a pair of golden sneakers signed by former President Trump.

Roman Sharf, Founder and CEO of Luxury Bazaar, a luxury watch dealer, won the pair of “Never Surrender high tops” after placing a bid of $9,000 at the convention, also known as “The Greatest Sneaker Show On Earth,” according to the organizer’s website. Reports have indicated that Sharf is Russian, but the CEO told Fox News Digital he is Ukrainian.

A video shared on social media shows Sharf holding the pair after his big win. 

“Of course I’ve got something to say — Trump 2024,” Sharf said in the video. 

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Roman Sharf, Founder and CEO of Luxury Bazaar, a luxury watch dealer, won the pair of “Never Surrender high tops” after placing a bid of $9,000 at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia.  (@AtlasEternal13/LOCAL NEWS X /TMX)

Sharf later posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he would be passing the sneakers down to his kids but would be displaying them in his office for the time being. 

“I wasn’t trying to make a political statement by buying these shoes. Of course, the internet blew up,” Sharf said in a video posted to his socials on Monday following online reactions to his winning bid. 

“You know, what saddens me the most about this whole situation is that over something as stupid as a pair of sneakers, it shows so clearly, once again, on just how divided our country is,” Sharf said. 

Trump took to the stage in Philadelphia over the weekend, receiving mixed and emotional reactions from those in attendance. The former president spoke for approximately 10 minutes, standing alongside a pair of limited-supply gold, custom Trump-branded sneakers sold for $399 a pair.

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“A lot of emotion. There’s a lot of emotion in this room,” Trump said after taking the podium. “They have lines going all around the block. They’ve never seen anything like this one.”

Roman Sharf, Founder and CEO of Luxury Bazaar, a luxury watch dealer, won the pair of “Never Surrender high tops” after placing a bid of $9,000 at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia.  (@AtlasEternal13/LOCAL NEWS X /TMX)

“I just want to tell you, you know, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. I have some incredible people that work with me on things, and they came up with this,” he said. “This is something I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years, and I think it’s going to be a big success.”

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Sneaker Con previously faced backlash from Trump critics for allowing the former president a venue to offer remarks. The organizers eventually took to social media to share a statement in response.

“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 towards our community,” the statement read. 

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump takes the stage to introduce a new line of signature shoes at Sneaker Con at the Philadelphia Convention Center on February 17, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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The Biden campaign reacted to Trump’s appearance at the event, with Biden-Harris 2024 communications director Michael Tyler saying in a statement, “Donald Trump showing up to hawk bootleg Off-Whites is the closest he’ll get to any Air Force Ones ever again for the rest of his life.”

Fox News’ Kyle Morris contributed to this report.