Donald Trump will soon be president again, but that doesn’t mean the grifting has to stop. With Christmas time here, the president-elect has been hawking Trump-branded merchandise as shamelessly as ever.
“We love God, and we have to protect anything that is pro-God,” Trump said in a recent Fox News ad for “God Bless the USA Bible,” a version of the holy book that he has personally endorsed. “We have to bring Christianity back into our lives and back into what will be again a great nation,” he continued. “There you have it. Let’s make America pray again.”
On Monday, the day before Christmas eve, Trump posted a link for supporters to buy a Les Paul-style six-string from “Trump Guitars,” weeks after legendary guitar manufacturer Gibson hit the website with a cease-and-desist order.
The stretch run of the 2024 election saw Trump launch “Trump coins” and a “truly special” line of Trump-branded watches, including a gold, diamond-encrusted tourbillon he’s selling for $100,000, around the same time that he was accusing Democrats of wanting to kill babies after birth and his wife, Melania, was noting Americans’ difficulties buying household necessities.
The Trump family’s merchandising spree isn’t over, and may just be be getting started. Here are some of the tackiest ventures Trump and his family are pushing as prepares to once again become the nation’s most powerful public servant.
Trump coins
Trump bills Trump Coins as “a true symbol of American greatness,” noting they are “minted right here in the U.S.A.” and claiming they were designed by Trump himself. “Crafting American Legacy,” the Trump Coins website reads. Trump is selling the “limited edition” coins for $100 apiece, even though they’re made with $30 worth of silver. It may seem like a lot until you realize they come with a certificate of authenticity and a little pouch.
The coins are “more than just a collectors item,” according to Trump, they are “a testament to the resilience and strength of the American people.”
Trump watches
“We’ve been doing quite a number with watches,” Trump said at the top of his mid-campaign infomercial announcing a line of luxury watches. The collection includes two “Fight Fight Fight” watches going for $499 apiece, a gold-toned one for $799, and a gold, diamond-studded tourbillon he’s selling for a whopping $100,000. “I love gold, I love diamonds, we all do,” Trump says.
There are only 147 of those $100,000 watches available, according to the website — a cool $14.7 million worth of merchandise.
The website clarifies that “Trump Watches are not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals.” Instead, they are being sold by TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC, which is using the “Trump” name and likeness “under a license agreement which may be terminated or revoked according to its terms.”
The website adds that “Trump Watches are intended as collectible items for individual enjoyment only, not for investment purposes.”
Trump digital trading cards
Trump began selling digital trading cards during the NFT boom, and hasn’t stopped. He announced “Series 4” of the cards in a video post in late August that seems like it was filmed in an alternate universe from the one in which he is trying to win a presidential election and warning of nuclear holocaust if he loses.
“It’s your favorite president with some exciting news,” Trump says in the video, introducing the release of 50 new digital trading cards, back by popular demand. “These cards show me dancing, and even holding some Bitcoins,” the former president intones, noting that if supporters buy 15 of them at $99 apiece, they’ll receive a physical card containing a piece of the suit he wore during his debate against Biden in June. “This is something to give your grandchildren,” he says before teasing a few more special offers. “Let’s have fun together and enjoy my Trump cards. We’re going to be talking about it for a long time.”
Trump’s foray into crypto
It’s unclear if Trump actually knows what crypto is, but that hasn’t stopped him from trying to cash in on it. In July, he spoke at the annual Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, where he called the audience “geniuses” and promised to make the United States the crypto capital of the world. “Most people have no idea what the hell it is,” he said about crypto. “So what happens when everyone figures it out? That’ll be something.”
While Trump previously called bitcoin “a scam,” in September, he announced on an X livestream that he and his family are starting a crypto business called World Liberty Financial. Trump was vague on specifics about the company, which describes itself on its website as “the cutting-edge DeFi platform supported by Donald J. Trump.”
“Crypto is one of those things we have to do,” Trump said on the livestream. “Whether we like it or not, I have to do it.”
Trump of course does not “have to” start a crypto business, and given the extent to which the Securities and Exchange Commission has cracked down on crypto, his ownership of a crypto business would make for a serious conflict of interest if he were to retake the White House. (Naturally, Trump promised to fire the SEC chair and replace him with an industry-friendly regulator — and he’s already moved to hire a crypto ally.)
A week later, Trump suggested he might be able to use crypto to pay off America’s $35 trillion national debt. He was joking — we think — but the quip underscores Trump’s ignorance about the intricacies of a volatile industry he seems to be backing mostly because of the money he’s getting from some of its major players.
“I think crypto’s got a great future,” Trump said before joking about using it to pay down the national debt. He was standing behind a podium advertising his digital trading cards.
Melania’s necklace
Melania was conspicuously absent from Trump’s 2024 campaign, only making a brief appearance — but not speaking — at the Republican National Convention. She’s still been an active participant in the Trump family’s grifting operation, though, and the former first lady has been pushing a “limited edition gold necklace celebrating lady liberty,” with “the option of a digital collectible.”
She’s selling the gold-plated pendants for $600 a piece.
Melania’s memoir
While Melania avoided campaigning with her husband, she started creeping back into the public eye down the home stretch of the race to hawk her new memoir. She did so in part through a series of bizarre teasers. “Why do I stand proudly behind my nude modeling work?” she asked in one, before wondering if “we’re no longer to appreciate the beauty of the human body.” She then cited “master artists” who have done so throughout history in order to “provoke profound emotions.”
In another, she used the assassination attempt against Trump in July to market the memoir, suggesting law enforcement was in on it and saying “we need to uncover the truth” before the screen cuts to an image of the book.
Melania sat down for an interview with Fox & Friends in September, her first in two years. Again, this was to promote her book, not Trump’s bid for president.
Trump sneakers
Trump unveiled a sneaker line at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia earlier this year. He was loudly booed as he did so next to a pair of the gold shoes he is selling for $399. “There’s a lot of emotion in this room,” he said as he was jeered.
Trump has since unveiled several additional iterations of the shoe, including a “Fight Fight Fight” version that features an image of him raising his fist after the assassination attempt against him in July. Those are only $299.
Assassination attempt cologne
Trump made hay over the assassination attempt against him in July, both through campaign fundraising and hawking merchandise — including “Fight Fight Fight” cologne and perfume. “This scent is your rallying cry in a bottle,” the description of the cologne reads. “Featuring Trump’s iconic image and raised fist, this limited-edition cologne embodies strength, power, and victory.” The perfume is intended for “women who embody strength and grace, like President Trump.” Both are for sale for $129.
Trump’s Bible
Trump celebrated the Easter season by teaming up with MAGA songwriter Lee Greenwood to hawk the “God Bless the USA Bible.” Trump’s version of the holy book includes the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge of Allegiance. “It’s very important to me,” Trump claims in the promo. “I want to have a lot of people have it. You have to have it for your heart, for your soul.”
Trump is selling the God Bless the USA Bible for $59.99 or, if you want one signed by Trump, for an even $1,000.
Trump’s new picture book
Trump is also selling a new picture book, which he says “takes you behind the scenes.” The cover features the image of him raising his fist after he was shot during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Raw Story reported that the publisher was able to use the image for the book because the Associated Press initially neglected to add protections that would have prevented it from being used for commercial purposes.
It’s unclear how the book actually takes the “reader” behind the scenes, however. A reviewer on Amazon posted a video of himself flipping through the book, revealing it to be filled with pretty standard public images of moments from his presidency and minimal commentary.
Trump is selling the book for $99, with autographed copies going for $499.
It’s worth noting that all of these proceeds are going to Trump and his family, not his campaign, which seems to exist largely as a way for the former president to promote his money-making ventures.It comes as no surprise, then, that Trump has done next to nothing to support down-ballot Republicans this fall. Punchbowl News reported in September that Trump had yet to appear at a major fundraising event for the National Republican Congressional Committee, which works to elect Republicans to the House. The Republican National Committee, which was controlled by Trump’s family and other MAGA diehards, hadn’t given any money to the NRCC this cycle, and Trump hadn’t given them anything, either.
Trump Guitars
Trump recently started pitching “Trump Guitars,” including an electric Les Paul-style guitar featuring a bald eagle, an American flag, and his catch phrase “Make America Great Again” on the neck. The website says its “limited edition American Eagle Guitar series” (only 1,275 are available) is “the only guitar officially endorsed by President Donald J. Trump.”
Guitar maker Gibson recently warned Trump Guitars owner 16 Creative that “the design infringes upon Gibson’s exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape.”
The president-elect posted a picture of himself with one of the guitars on Monday, December 23, telling supporters they are “NOW AVAILABLE.”
More from Rolling Stone
Best of Rolling Stone
Sign up for RollingStone’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
