Trump tests ethical limits with his brand’s products (and he doesn’t accept returns)

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump learned long ago that “photo opportunities” could earn him attention and that putting his name on everything from skyscrapers to steaks could bring him profits.

As a three-time presidential candidate and now president-elect, he is bringing these two concepts together faster than ever, connecting the celebrated images of his political life to perfumes, watches, sneakers and digital trading cards. Everything around Trump has become something to be monetized, including a moment of warmth with Jill Biden, the first lady, at Notre Dame last weekend.

“Here are my new Trump Perfumes and Colognes!” Trump wrote on social media on Sunday, along with a photo of his interaction with the first lady, who hinted at a faint smile. “I call them Fight, Fight, Fight because they represent us WINNING. Great Christmas gifts for the family.”

Below the photo was another caption, an apparent jab at Biden: “A FRAGRANCE YOUR ENEMIES CANNOT RESIST!”

Trump, in essence, used a cordial moment with the first lady, a frequent critic, to sell fragrances that are “curated to capture the essence of success and determination,” according to the perfume website.

Before Trump was first inaugurated, his sons moved in to take control of the family business, to at least create the perception of separation between a profitable company and the highest office in the land. (Trump still held more than 50 licensing deals in his name, according to an analysis by .)

This time, there is no such presumption of distance, just the movement of a conveyor belt dumping one Trump product after another. On Monday, officials working for Trump did not immediately respond to a question about whether he would continue promoting products after being inaugurated.

With weeks until he takes office, Trump is capitalizing on the attention from his election victory by promoting fragrances and footwear to supporters who are in a celebratory mood. There are “Trump Crypto President” sneakers on sale for $299, along with “Victory” colognes for $119 and “First Lady” shoes for $299. Little information is available about the products’ materials or where they are manufactured. And, according to the products’ website, sales are final — that is, it is not possible to request a return.

When Trump ran in 2016, several of his branded products sold by the Trump Organization were manufactured abroad, including blazers made in India, suits made in Mexico, and ties made in China — business practices that were and are at odds with his current advocacy of tariffs against economic competitors like Beijing. Trump’s daughter Ivanka has also been criticized for selling products made abroad.

Trump does not appear to be the manufacturer of the perfumes, watches, sneakers and other items to which he has lent his name. The scheme works like this: Trump creates companies that function like bank accounts, allowing the people or companies that manufacture the products to pay him royalties for the cost of licensing his name.

In his 2023 financial disclosure form, for example, a company Trump owns called “CIC Ventures LLC” reported revenue of $4.5 million for a book published by the conservative publisher Winning Team, which is partly owned by his son Donald Trump Jr. Also according to the release, the elder Trump earned $300,000 from a licensing partnership with LMA Productions, a company that produced a Bible endorsed by singer Lee Greenwood, known for “God Bless the USA ”.

But unlike some of Trump’s previous efforts, the identities of his current merchandise business partners are protected by the creation of limited liability companies, which are structured to allow these partners to remain anonymous. At least two of the companies selling recently created Trump products were formed in Wyoming, a state that has strict privacy laws that protect the identities of LLC owners.

45Footwear, the company behind the $499 “Trump Won” sneakers and “Fight Fight Fight” fragrances, was created in January by Cloud Peak, a Sheridan, Wyoming-based law firm that has formed more than 100 thousand of these companies around the world. In July, Cloud Peak also created a Sheridan-based LLC called TheBestWatchesOnEarth, which sells gold-plated watches. For $899, supporters can purchase one with an engraving of the president-elect’s face.

Reporters who visited the Sheridan addresses of these businesses reported finding rural strip malls or buildings occupied by unrelated businesses.

Jordan Libowitz, vice president of communications for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the practice raises several ethical questions.

“It’s a little bit like a black box where the money is coming from,” he said, adding that people hoping to influence Trump could pour money into one of his products.

“We care a lot about all the time he spends at Mar-a-Lago, surrounded by people trying to influence policy,” Libowitz said. “You show up and tell him, ‘Hey, I spent $100,000 on Trump watches.’ This will get his attention.”

Another concern is the speed and frequency with which Trump launched new products before assuming the presidency in just over a month. Without more information from the president-elect and his team, there is no way to know whether Trump will try to monetize major moments of his presidency and where the money to produce those goods will come from.

“Whatever norms he was responding to before,” Libowitz said, “he doesn’t seem particularly interested in now.”