A drawing of the Manhattan skyline by President Donald Trump sold at auction for $29,184 on Thursday night. The work was created by Trump for a charity auction promoting worldwide literacy in 2005 and was consigned by the winner of that original event. The sketch, drawn on a large envelope, is one of only three known variants. The auction, held by Los Angeles-based Nate D. Sanders, attracted 11 bids starting at $9,000, with interest from both Trump followers and presidential memorabilia collectors.
This sale highlights the crossover between political memorabilia and the art market, drawing attention to Trump's brief foray into art-making. However, it also underscores the irony of a president who has threatened to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts benefiting from the art world's commercial mechanisms. The auction's timing, coinciding with a House Appropriations Committee vote to fund the NEA at $145 million through 2018, adds a layer of political and cultural commentary.