Everything Donald Trump is selling while he runs for president
If there’s one thing everyone can agree about Former President Donald Trump, it’s that he’s a businessman.
Trump, who made his fortune in real estate backed by his father’s business, has tried to make money in a lot of ways. Some were major hits like NBC’s (CMCSA) “The Apprentice” or Trump Tower, others were gimmicky and flopped, like his attempt at selling vodka, steak, a Monopoly-like board game, and even an airline.
Now, as he’s running for re-election to the White House, the Trump name is bigger — and more controversial — than ever, winning him intense critics and devout fans. That’s led the Trump family — namely Donald and Former First Lady Melania Trump — to cash in on his name.
Here’s just about everything the Trump family is hawking ahead of Election Day.
The Holy (American) Bible
Former President Donald Trump has made millions off of the several books he has written, or at least had written for him. That now includes a version of the King James Bible altered to be “more American.”
Trump made $300,000 in royalties from the $60 Bible, “inspired by” country musician Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless the USA.” Besides being a copy of the King James Version of the Bible, it includes a handwritten chorus to Greenwood’s song, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance, according to its website.
A limited-1,000 copy run of the book, which appears to still be available half a year later, features Trump’s signature and retails for $1,000. And, after he survived an assassination attempt in July, Trump released the “The Day God Intervened” edition of the Bible, which appears to just have a different cover.
“It’s my favorite book; it’s a lot of people’s favorite book,” Trump said in a video announcing the Bible in March. “This Bible is a reminder that the biggest thing we have to bring back America, to make America great again, is our religion.”
A MAGA-Sneakerhead’s dream
Over the past year, the former president has gone all-in on catering to the sneakerheads of America, releasing several new shoes topped with American flags, Bitcoin, or other symbols.
The first of these shoes came in February, when he unveiled the $399 “Never Surrender High-Tops” on a website that also sells Trump-branded cologne and perfume for between $119 and $129 a bottle. Pre-orders of the shoes, limited at 1,000 pairs, sold out within minutes, according to Politico (SPR), which also published a guide on how to style the golden sneakers.
Gettrumpsneakers.com also features many, many other shoes: Trump Presidential Golf Shoes, Trump Pro 1 Ultra Golf, Trump Doral 1 Casual Golf, T-Red Wave, Never Surrender Low Top, Trump Slides, FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT High-Tops and boots, POTUS 45, and Trump Crypto President sneakers. The cheapest pair — the slides — go for $149, while the most expensive is the sold-out Never Surrender sneakers.
If that’s not enough to stir the rebel in Trump’s devoted fanbase, they’re in luck — he’s also selling a “Freedom Cooler” bag for $299 that reminds you to never surrender.
Overpriced Silver Coins
Donald Trump’s latest promotion is the “first edition silver medallion” being sold by JBCZ Group, LLC, a firm that was incorporated in Delaware in June.
Each coin, according to the website hosting the product, is about 1.6-inches, contains a troy ounce of .999 fine silver, and will be sold for $100. However, the value of the actual metal in the coin is worth just about $30, as multiple reports have pointed out. The pouch holding the coin, according to New York magazine, looks similar to black drawstring pouches that can retail for as low as 40 cents.
So, where does the rest of the price come from? Well, the designs of course. The front of each coin has Trump’s smirking face in a suit and tie, while the back features The White House hidden behind Trump’s signature, along with “In God We Trust,” a motto that appears on all U.S. currency.
“Trump Coins are designed by me and minted right here in the USA,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social. “This beautiful, limited-edition coin commemorates our movement, our fight for freedom, prosperity and putting America first.”
“I’ve seen a lot of coins out there using my very beautiful face — I’m a very beautiful guy. I’m only kidding! But they are not the official coin,” Trump adds in a video posted to X.
Christmas Ornaments
As her husband revealed his new silver coins, Former First Lady Melania Trump made her own product announcement: new Christmas ornaments.
“To all of my passionate collectors, I am thrilled to unveil 2024’s Limited Edition Ornament series, ‘Merry Christmas, AMERICA!’” Trump wrote on X on Sept. 21. “Each unique piece captures the magic of the holiday season. Let these ornaments inspire cherished memories & bring warmth to your entire family. Happy collecting!”
The collection features four ornaments, each made out of brass with an enamel ornament. They also come with Trump’s signature and the option of a digital collectible, likely a non-fungible token, also known as an NFT.
Three of the ornaments — a snowflake called Let It Snow, a heart clasp featuring the U.S. flag called Love & Freedom, and one featuring what appears to be the Statue of Liberty standing over the U.S. Capitol Building and the White House — sell for $75 each. The fourth, “USA Star,” is a typical Christmas tree star with the words USA attached to its front and retails at $90.
Her website also features two pieces of jewelry that go for $245 and $600, respectively and NFTs that go for $150 a pop.
$100,000 Watches
It seems like Trump has taken inspiration from Marco Rubio, the Florida Senator and former rival for the Republican president nomination. In 2016, Rubio quipped that Trump would be “selling watches in Manhattan” without his father’s financial aid (and later “sold” a watch on his campaign’s website as a joke).
And now, Trump is hawking his own watches. Although, he’s asking more money for them than just about anyone would ever expect.
“These watches are truly special—you’re going to love them,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, the social media site he owns, on Thursday.
On the cheaper end is the “Fight Fight Fight” collection, a series of watches that TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC — which was registered in Wyoming over the summer — says are built for daily wear. That series comes in three colors, each of them marked as “limited,” selling for between $500 and $800 each.
Then there’s the $100,000 “Tourbillon,” of which just 147 were made and numbered; Trump said he will own the first Tourbillon made. They come in three variants — rose gold, gold with a gold dial, and gold with a black dial — and are crafted from “solid 18 Karat Gold,” according to Trump’s website.
Now, disregarding that $100,000 is a lot of money, there are some issues with Trump’s latest offering. Namely, well, no one quite knows what they’re paying for.
“The images shown are for illustration purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the product,” gettrumpwatches.com states on its homepage, right below a warning that the watches are not for investment purposes.
More than that, the website states each watch is made to order, so the design likely hasn’t been finalized yet. Those watches won’t start being shipped out until October at the earliest.
The images of the “Fight Fight Fight” watches shown on the website look similar to a Rolex Submariner, as GQ pointed out. They also include Trump’s signature on the dial and an image of him raising his fist after the July assassination attempt etched into the caseback.
As for the cost, the website specifically states that it accepts Bitcoin and international orders, meaning that just about anyone can buy it — as long as they belong to the fairly exclusive club of people with $100,000 to throw around.
Memoirs
One of the tried and true ways for celebrities of all kinds to cash in on their success is to write a memoir, or at least hire someone to ghostwrite it for you.
And the Trump family is no different. Donald Trump, who became a household name thanks to the ghost-written “The Art of the Deal” has had his name on more than half a dozen books, ranging from other non-fiction works to “Trump Tower,” a fiction novel written by Jeffrey Robinson (but originally credited as Trump’s “debut novel”) was described as a book that “hinges on erotica before spiraling into murder mystery” by Esquire.
His latest, “Save America,” is a collection of pictures, anecdotes, and recollections from Trump’s presidential campaigns and tenure in office. Its cover features the iconic image captured by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci shortly after Trump was the victim of an assassination attempt earlier this summer. On Amazon (AMZN), it’s on sale for $91.47, down from the $99 price listed by its publisher, the conservative Winning Team Publishing.
He recently reported $505,764 in royalties from “A MAGA Journey” and $4.5 million from the book “Letters to Trump,” which includes personal notes that celebrities — from former president Richard Nixon to Princess Diana — have sent Trump over the years, according to his latest financial disclosures.
And Melania Trump has her own book coming out. The book, “Melania,” has a list price of $40 and is ranked 67th on Amazon’s best-seller list and in second place in the website’s political leader biographies ranking. It comes out on Oct. 8.
On Amazon, a hardcover copy of “Melania” is currently listed at 30% off and retails for $28, down from $40. On Trump’s website, a signed copy is priced at $75, while a collector’s edition that comes with a “digital collectible” and extra photographs is $250.
NFTs
The former president is no stranger to crypto, despite his former distaste of decentralized currencies, especially Bitcoin. But in recent years, Donald Trump has cashed in on a once-widespread fad that’s dwindled in popularity — non-fungible tokens.
A non-fungible token, or an NFT, refers to a unique digital asset that can take the form of art, music, in-game items, videos, and other types of digital content stored on a blockchain network. It is traded using cryptocurrency as a means of exchange. Often, these become symbols of status among certain online communities, like the fans of Bored Ape Yacht Club, a group that once included Jimmy Fallon and Paris Hilton.
Late last month, Trump launched his fourth collection of NFTs, featuring 50 unique “portraits that celebrate” Trump’s “storied career,” and bring “Presidential moments to life with vibrant artistry.” In other words, Trump is selling $99 digital renditions of Trump, looking uncharacteristically muscular and holding a Bitcoin, wearing boxing gloves, signing bills into law, and looking like a Bitcoin-ified version of Marvel’s Captain America.
Melania Trump has her own NFT collection showing off her “cobalt blue eyes,” which netted her $330,609 in license fees. Trump made $7.15 million from his prior line of NFTs, according to financial disclosures.
World Liberty Financial
World Liberty Financial, an upcoming decentralized finance platform hawked by Trump and his eldest sons, is the former president’s latest major move to endear himself to the crypto lobby.
The project includes a new crypto token, WLFI. Twenty percent of those tokens will be allotted to the founding team, while 17% of the tokens will be set aside for user rewards and the remaining 63% of the coins will be sold to the general public. A leaked draft white paper for the project had planned to give the founder’s 70% of the tokens, which drew criticism and concerns that World Liberty Financial could be a scam.
Donald Trump is listed as the project’s “chief crypto advocate.” Eric Trump and Donald Trump, Jr., are given the title of “web3 ambassador.” Barron Trump, the youngest of Trump’s sons, is reportedly listed as the project’s “DeFi visionary; The former president has said the college student owns “four wallets or something.”
Other key players in the project are real estate investor Steve Witkoff, Zachary Folkman, the project’s head of operations, and Chase Herro, who will oversee data and strategies. Herro previously co-founded Dough Finance, a blockchain app that was recently compromised in a hacking incident, while Folkman once ran a company named Date Hotter Girls LLC and posted YouTube videos focused on how to pick up women.
