Former President Donald Trump sells God Bless America Bibles on Truth Social.
Source: Social Truth
Gym shoes. Perfume. Trading cards. Bibles.
These are just some of the products Donald Trump is selling as he races to unseat President Joe Biden.
They join a vast catalog of Trump-branded products, ranging from steaks to scented candles, that the businessman-turned-president has licensed over the years.
But as his campaign coffers dwindle and his fortune is in jeopardy, Trump – who has never fully separated his political career from his financial one – is now actively intertwining his business ventures with his bid for the White House.
“There is no precedent for this level” of commercial activity during a presidential campaign, Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard Law School professor, told CNBC, even though “the trend has been going on for many years.”
Brendan Fischer, deputy executive editor of the Money-in-politics watchdog Documented, agrees.
“I can think of no other modern example of a presidential candidate selling a variety of assets for his own private benefit,” Fischer said.
For an average candidate, such activity might trigger a campaign finance investigation, but it probably won’t for Trump, who sold name-brand products long before entering politics, according to Fischer.
“Trump is a unique case,” he said.
That uniqueness was on display Tuesday, when Trump unveiled his latest promotion: a $60 Bible that includes copies of the nation’s founding documents, along with lyrics from country star Lee Greenwood’s hit song, “God Bless the USA “.
The song by Greenwood, who is teaming up with Trump to support the expensive holy book, is a regular toss-up at the presumptive Republican nominee’s campaign rallies.
Trump made the connection to the campaign even more explicit in a video announcing the promotion, warning that Americans’ rights are under threat and declaring, “we’re going to fix this.” He also repeatedly invoked his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
It’s unclear how much money Trump is making from the Bible — he receives royalties from its sales, a person familiar with the deal told the New York Times — but whatever he gets will effectively go into his pockets.
The Bible website says it has no connection to the Trump campaign. Instead, it uses Trump’s name, likeness and image under a paid license from a company called CIC Ventures LLC.
Trump’s 2023 financial disclosure calls him “Manager, President, Secretary and Treasurer” of CIC Ventures and lists his revocable trust as the sole owner of the company. Trump made more than $5 million in speaking fees through the company, the disclosure shows. Florida business records show the CIC’s address is the same as Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Lessig noted that Trump’s business moves do not appear to violate campaign ethics or finance rules.
“I don’t think there is any ethical problem with this, as long as the proper reporting requirements are met,” the professor said.
“There may be a strategic or branding issue, but that’s the same as any political speech,” he added.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told CNBC, “These blockbuster trade deals are completely separate from the campaign.”
Trump’s biblical support came during Holy Week, the period before Easter and a sacred time for Christians. It also came less than six weeks after Trump went to a sneaker convention in Philadelphia to launch his own line of tennis shoes.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump delivers a speech while introducing a new line of signature shoes at Sneaker Con at the Philadelphia Convention Center on February 17, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
The aptly named Trump Sneakers range in price from $199 up to $399 for pre-order. Two of the available styles are emblazoned with the number 45, a reference to Trump’s tenure as the 45th president of the United States.
The website selling the sneakers also advertises Trump-branded “Victory47” cologne and perfume, both of which cost $99.
“’Victory’ is the signature scent of strength and success, housed in a luxurious gold bottle,” reads the cologne’s description on the site.
Trump’s presence at the convention further blurred the lines between advocacy and capitalist enterprise.
“We’re going to turn this country around fast. We’re going to change this country. And we’re going to remember the young people and we’re going to remember Sneaker Con,” he told the crowd, who greeted him with a mix of cheers and boos.
The sneaker site says “Trump” and the associated design are trademarks of CIC Ventures and notes that Trump has licensed his name and image to a company called 45Footwear LLC. The company is reportedly registered in Wyoming, one of the cheapest places in the country to start a business.
The shoes are not designed, made or distributed by Trump or the Trump Organization, according to the site.
As Biden’s campaign extends its fundraising lead over Trump’s political operation, the Republican candidate said he “may” put his own money into the race. He didn’t do it in 2020.
Trump also has just days to post a $175 million appeal bond to suspend the state of New York from collecting a $454 million civil fraud judgment against him. He has already posted a $91.6 million bail on appeal in a separate civil case in which he was found liable for defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll.
Trump also faces 91 criminal charges in four separate courts, with his first trial set for April 15. Trump has spent more than $100 million on legal fees since he left office in 2021, though none of it came out of his own pocket, according to The New York Times.