He’s bought Bibles, sneakers, picture books and cryptocurrency throughout his third marketing campaign for president. Now, Donald Trump is launching a brand new enterprise enterprise: diamond-encrusted watches.
The Republican presidential candidate unveiled the “Official Trump Watch Assortment” on Thursday. The most costly, listed as together with 122 diamonds on its bezel and out there in three 18-karat gold kinds, prices $100,000. One other “Combat Combat Combat” mannequin is listed at $499.
Trump has hawked a sequence of branded merchandise since he launched his 2024 White Home marketing campaign, following his lengthy custom of melding his political and enterprise pursuits. Thursday’s launch, coming 40 days earlier than Election Day, may open him as much as criticism about monetizing his marketing campaign, notably as he makes an argument that Vice President Kamala Harris is out of contact with Individuals’ financial struggles.
Whereas web sites for the varied merchandise notice that proceeds from their gross sales don’t immediately profit Trump or his marketing campaign, in addition they notice that every is topic to a “paid license settlement.” That’s the identical mechanism that allowed Trump, effectively earlier than he entered politics, to revenue for years from gross sales of every little thing from water, vodka and steaks.
Earlier this week, he introduced the sale of $100 silver cash bearing his face. In March, forward of Easter, Trump launched a video on Fact Social urging his supporters to spend $59.99 for a “God Bless the USA Bible,” impressed by nation singer Lee Greenwood’s patriotic ballad. Trump takes the stage to the track at every of his rallies and has appeared with Greenwood at occasions.
In February, he hawked new Trump-branded sneakers at “Sneaker Con,” a gathering that payments itself because the “The Best Sneaker Present on Earth.” The footwear, shiny gold excessive tops with an American flag element on the again, are being bought as “By no means Give up Excessive-Tops” for $399 on a brand new web site that additionally sells different Trump-branded footwear and “Victory47” cologne and fragrance for $99 a bottle.
Trump has additionally dabbled in NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, and final yr reported incomes between $100,000 and $1 million from a sequence of digital buying and selling playing cards that portrayed him in cartoon-like pictures, together with as an astronaut, a cowboy and a superhero.
A few of these gadgets, together with the cash, sneakers and Bibles, have been listed as affiliated with CIC Ventures LLC, an organization that Trump reported proudly owning in his 2023 monetary disclosure, has an analogous association with 45Footwear, which additionally says it makes use of Trump’s “identify, likeness and picture beneath paid license from CIC Ventures LLC, which license could also be terminated or revoked in line with its phrases.”
The gadgets have gone up on the market within the wake of a $489 million civil fraud judgment in opposition to the previous president, which a New York appellate courtroom on Thursday seemed to be open to lowering or reversing.
In response to a disclaimer on a gross sales web site, the watches are coated by an analogous settlement to license Trump’s identify, picture and likeness, and proceeds from their gross sales don’t go to Trump’s marketing campaign or the Trump Group and “are usually not designed, manufactured, distributed or bought by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Group or any of their respective associates or principals.”
As an alternative, TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC — the corporate listed because the gross sales entity — says it makes use of the “‘Trump’ identify, picture and likeness beneath a paid license settlement which can be terminated or revoked in line with its phrases. Trump Watches are meant as collectible gadgets for particular person enjoyment solely, not for funding functions.”
A spokesperson for the Trump marketing campaign referred questions concerning the licensing deal to the Trump Group, which didn’t instantly return a message looking for remark. TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC additionally didn’t instantly reply to an inquiry on the deal by way of its web site.
