They’re All Bought In On Everything
Yesterday, Josh Dawsey and Ashley Parker reported about Trump using his campaign to profit personally. It shouldn’t surprise anyone, even though it’s unprecedented, unethical and ghastly. He spends his time raising money selling cheap— and not so cheap— mementos of Trumpism to his moron followers. No American candidate for president has ever done anything like that before but many of Trump's foreign cronies and role models have, particularly Putin, Berlusconi, Ferdinand Marcos, Hosni Mubarak, Mobutu Sese Seko and Erdoğan, all classic kleptocrats, like Trump, combining personal wealth with political power and exploiting state resources for personal gain. What sets Trump and Berlusconi apart is their backgrounds as celebrities and business moguls, which allows them to blend private business ventures with political campaigning in a way that's distinct from the more traditional kleptocratic or authoritarian models. While others have enriched themselves through political office, few have monetized their personal brand so explicitly while running for the highest office in the land. And here in the U.S., Trump’s blending of his political platform with personal profiteering is a jarring departure from historical norms in American politics. His approach appears to reflect his unique combination of celebrity culture, personal brand-building, and disregard for traditional ethical boundaries, a hallmark of his whole life.
Campaign finance laws have long sought to prevent candidates from using campaign contributions for personal expenses. However, Trump's use of campaign events and donations to promote his personal business ventures is an exploitation of these rules, not funneling money into his campaign but rather into his for-profit enterprises is particularly unusual. Everyone knows he monetized the presidency, constantly blurring the lines between public service and personal business, such as hosting foreign dignitaries and government officials at his properties like Mar-a-Lago and his hotel in Washington.
Today, his ability to commercialize his campaign is emblematic of how capitalism can erode democratic norms by turning a presidential candidacy into a money-making enterprise. Let’s face it, his moron supports have no concerns that he exploits his platform to enrich himself rather than addressing the urgent needs of ordinary Americans. The sale of digital trading cards, overpriced merchandise, and memorabilia connected to his presidency, plays into the narrative of Trump as someone more concerned with financial gain than public service.
Dawsey and Parker emphasized that “the money was not going to his campaign but to for-profit ventures he earns millions from promoting. No presidential candidate has ever so closely linked his election with personal for-profit enterprises, selling a staggering array of merchandise that includes signed Bibles where he receives a royalty for hawking them, pricey sneakers, gold necklaces, cryptocurrency cards, pens, books, licensing fees on overseas properties and more. His company’s website also sells a variety of political merchandise at higher prices than his campaign charges for the same items. A ‘Make America Great Again’ hat that sells for $55 on his company website costs $40 through the campaign. A 3x5 flag from the campaign costs $43, while the same size flag on the company’s site costs $86. ‘There’s no precedent in history at all, and certainly not in modern history, for somebody who has monetized the office or running for office of president the way he has,’ said Don Fox, former general counsel for the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.”
But Trump’s various moneymaking strategies also further a narrative that Democrats say resonates with voters: that the former president only cares about himself.
“One of the many arguments we make against Trump is that he cares solely about himself and his bottom line more than anything else, including the American people, it manifests itself in all sorts of different ways,” said Ammar Moussa, director of rapid response for the Harris campaign. “We have a lot of different proof points, and it’s not just him hawking bibles and ugly sneakers. It’s also, for instance, when he uses donor money to pay for his personal legal fees.”
…There are advisers and lawyers inside the campaign who say the deals are a little “slimy,” but “Trump relishes being able to market his name,” said one campaign adviser, who like some others spoke on the condition of anonymity to reveal internal details.
“His general belief is, ‘If I’m going to get attacked and have to pay all these lawyers and deal with everything, I need to make some money off it,’” the adviser said.
Trump has privately complained that being president has cost him money at some of his hotels, golf courses and luxury properties, a fact that is borne out by federal financial disclosures. In other places, he has made far more money because of the gig— jacking up his Mar-a-Lago Club’s membership fee to $700,000, for example, giving people a chance to have access to him.
“There’s nothing surprising considering the individual,” Fox said. “How does any of that commercialization of his former office and the one that he seeks again— how does that translate to making the lives of ordinary Americans better? It doesn’t. It just goes to lining his own pocket.”
Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University, said former presidents have often made money by selling books, giving speeches or serving on boards. “They raise money for their libraries, and they get big checks for their memoirs,” Brinkley said.
But he said no president or major-party presidential candidate had ever marketed themselves the way Trump has— with extensive licensing deals for gear, or merging a campaign for the presidency with a private business enterprise.
“In the sense of marketeering themselves in the way that Trump does, selling bobbleheads and MAGA gear, it’s a new lurch into campaign capitalism and profiteering off the White House,” he said. “It’s a real blurring of the lines between his private marketeering and campaign politics. You can quickly confuse the voting public.”
…Trump has sold a license agreement to a company that markets a panoply of products branded in his name. Those include various styles of golf shoes, perfume, coolers, and sandals among other projects. Trump hawked the athletic shoes during a stop at a Pennsylvania sneaker event this year, because part of the deal required him to promote them.
Last year, he reported making $300,000 from promoting a Bible with musician Lee Greenwood, who often appears at Trump events. The former president, who is not known to be particularly religious, asked his supporters to pay about $60 for the Bible. Greenwood approached Trump directly about the deal, people familiar with the matter said.
“All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many. It’s my favorite book,” Trump said in a Truth Social video. “I’m proud to endorse and encourage you to get this Bible. We must make America pray again.”
Some of Trump’s former and informal advisers have discussed launching a Trump vodka line, according to people familiar with the discussions. So far, that has not come to market. A person close to Trump said he has no plans to endorse or start a vodka line.
One of the more prominent deals includes Trump promoting shoes with his name and autograph on them. Those include “Never Surrender Gold Low Tops” that cost $499. There is a “Crypto President” pair of bitcoin orange sneakers for the same price, and a $299 pair of “Fight Fight Fight” shoes that include his bloody face and his arm foisted in the air after the July attempted assassination attempt in Butler, Pa.
“GetTrumpSneakers.com is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign. 45Footwear is not owned, managed or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Ventures LLC or any of their respective principals or affiliates. 45Footwear uses Donald J. Trump’s name, likeness and image under paid license from CIC Ventures LLC, which license may be terminated or revoked according to its terms,” the website says.
CIC Ventures is a Trump company. The deal includes Trump getting profits in exchange for promotion and autographed materials. He also had to approve the designs.
It is unclear exactly who profits— Trump advisers would not say, and 45Footwear is affiliated with an LLC by the same name that is based in Sheridan, Wyo., according to state records. The LLC was filed by a Wyoming lawyer named Andrew Pierce.
… On some occasions, Trump has benefited from political organizations that he controls. For example, at various political events, donors, supporters and allies are given copies of his picture book, including at the Republican National Convention in July, per attendees. The party has purchased the books.
One adviser described Trump spending hours signing the copies of the book but said he viewed it as worth the money.
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