A former first lady of the United States has put up some items up for auction. It's a move that has some people scratching their heads.
Melania Trump announced the move on Twitter Tuesday, calling it a "historic 'Head of State' auction," along with a list of the items up for bid and linked to MelaniaTrump.com.
The items up for auction include a hat from her personal collection worn during her time in the White House as well as a painting of her and a non-fungible token (NFT) featuring the painting of her.
The hat, created by Herve Pierre was worn by Trump in 2018 during the official French State Visit. The painting by Marc-Antonine Coulon is an original watercolor and also recognized the French State Visit. The NFT is a token featuring the Coulon watercolor.
All pieces will come signed by the former first lady.
Additionally, bids for the pieces begin at $250,000. Some of the proceeds, Trump added on Twitter, would go to the benefit children in foster care, which is part of her "Be Best" campaign.
However, many, following the announcement from Trump about the auction, were left asking questions. Some asked how much exactly would go to help those in need.
Commenter @Jackieburnsg responded by asking, "How much is going to charity and how much is going in your pocket?" Commenter @Widowmom4 replied by asking a similar question, saying, "It says a 'portion' of the proceeds go to foster children fund. Gee I wonder where the majority of the money goes."
Another user, @HoneyChile15 answered the former first lady's post by asking, "Will this be auctioned off?" with an accompanying photo of Trump wearing the green "I don't really care, do u?" jacket.
On Twitter, @GregFaltin, also called into question the legitimacy of the auction, replying "Legitimate fundraisers would name the charity and the percentage. This is just grift."
However, another user, @Barbie3512 said she would love to have the items Trump plans to auction off but feared the starting bid of $250,000 to be too steep, saying "A huge fan and how awesome it would be to have any souvenir but no doubt I don't have the wallet. Thank you for your service."
The online-only auction, is set to get underway on January 11 through January 25.
Melania Trump's auction announcement comes after the New York attorney general issued subpoenas to her husband and former President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump, in the investigation the office's investigation of the Trump Organization.
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