Donald Trump raised eyebrows earlier this month when he announced he was selling a line of $11,000 guitars – the musical instrument becoming the latest item in a string of Trump-endorsed products that include sneakers, a Bible and a “victory cologne”.
Billed as “the only guitar officially endorsed by President Donald J Trump”, the acoustic and electric axes bear all the gaudy insignia of Trump’s political campaigns, and have been developed “with the help of a master luthier”.
The guitars have the slogan “Make America Great Again” embossed on the neck, and an eagle in front of an American flag on the body. The headstock has the number “45” – Trump was the 45th president – surrounded by a lot of stars. An autographed electric version costs $11,750, the acoustic $10,250.
Trump announced the move in a post on Truth Social, and the associated Trump Guitars website shows a photograph of Trump, mouth agape, holding a pen to the frame of one of the instruments.
But as quickly as Trump attempted to get the music going, it was potentially silenced: Gibson told Guitar World this week that it issued a cease and desist order to Trump Guitars owner 16 Creative over the use of its single-cut electric guitar model, “as the design infringes upon Gibson’s exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape”.
Entering into guitar sales is a left-field choice for Trump, whose most notable connection to the guitar is his ability to get bands that use the instrument to order him to stop playing their music. But throughout his presidential campaign, Trump has made it clear that he will endorse almost anything, as long as there is profit to be made.
Trump owes more than $500m in legal penalties related to his defamation of E Jean Carroll, a writer who a civil trial found had been sexually abused by the president-elect, and to financial fraud stretching over a decade.
An eclectic range of product endorsements has been helpful to Trump in raising at least some of that money.
The “Never-Surrender High-Top Sneaker” was initially announced in February, and is a pair of shiny gold high-top shoes that sneaker enthusiasts described as “tacky” and “look[ing] like a knockoff shoe produced by Temu”.
The website established to sell the sneakers has since expanded into other markets. It now sells a variety of shoes, including a $299 “Trump Victory” sneaker and the orthopedic-style footwear favored at retirement communities everywhere.
For those who want to smell like Trump, it also offers cologne. There are actually two types of cologne available: “Fight fight fight” and “Victory”. The first one is inspired by Trump’s words after he was shot in the ear, and is apparently a “bold scent” that “delivers rich, robust notes that leave a lasting impression”. Buyers should note, however, that this is “Not just a cologne – it’s a symbol of resilience. Inspired by Trump’s relentless drive, wear it with pride and confidence.”
Victory cologne is the more out there of the two. The bottle cap is a small gold bust of Trump’s head, complete with jowls and coif, and, according to the website, is “for the movers, the shakers, and the history makers”.
It adds: “Crowned with a Trump Collector’s cap, splash on a bit of Victory and own every room you step into.”
There’s a perfume, too, “for women who embody strength and grace, like President Trump” – all of it for sale at outrageous prices. (Victory, priced at $119, is the cheapest thing on there by about $100, but is currently sold out.)
The shoes and the scents pale in comparison to the controversy created by Trump’s God Bless the USA Bible, which the president-elect endorsed and started hawking in March. Priced at $59.99 – $83.37 after tax and shipping – it was described by the Guardian as “a blasphemous, sticky nightmare”, and described by religious leaders as an example of “bankrupt Christianity” and in violation of one of the Ten Commandments.
Trump launched a watch range in September, too, with the most expensive of his timepieces selling for $100,000. (“This ostentatious gold monstrosity might just be the tackiest thing he – or indeed anyone – has brought out, ever,” reported the Guardian.)
But as awful as Trump’s merchandise might be, it seems there are people out there willing to buy it. The celebrity builder has made about $7.2m from his range of NFTs, and about $399,000 from his sneakers, CBS News reported. Trump also made $300,000 from his Bibles, according to financial disclosures, while information is as yet unavailable on his allegedly vastly overpriced watches.
Trump has a long, largely unsuccessful history of launching strange products, including: a board game, a vodka, steaks, a magazine and many more.
The difference with this spate of releases is that a) Trump was running for president while flogging his shoes, sneakers and Bibles and b) for the first time, he actually seems to be making money from his wide-ranging array of products.
