Former President Donald Trump has exploited a licensing error by the Associated Press and plans to publish a now-iconic AP photo of himself on the cover of his latest book, Raw Story has learned.
The $99 book — titled “Save America” and published by Winning Team Publishing, which Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. co-founded — features AP photographer Evan Vucci’s image of Trump pumping his fist skyward seconds after a gunman’s bullet hit Trump’s ear during a July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pa.
“In all the activity over the weekend of July 13, we neglected to immediately add full restrictions to photos from the attempted assassination of former President Trump to make clear they are for editorial use only,” said Nicole Meir, media relations manager for AP. “We added those restrictions three days later. During that window, a handful of organizations licensed the image for non-editorial purposes.”
Going forward, the photo remains available for editorial use only, with AP maintaining the rights to the image, Meir said.
“We are very proud of AP photographer Evan Vucci’s work and continue to license it for editorial use only,” Meir said via email.
Winning Team Publishing did not immediately respond to Raw Story’s request for comment via phone and email.
The book, set to be released on Sept. 3, is available for pre-order and focuses on Trump’s four years in office and his “vision for his next term,” according to the Winning Team Publishing website.
“From Historic Summits with World Leaders to candid scenes from the White House, every photo has been selected by President Trump, alongside his words, which provide insight into what will shape his next four years in office,” the book description on the website reads.
Screen grab of "Save America" book for sale on Winning Team Publishing's website.
Barely 12 hours after the Trump assassination attempt last month, a variety of companies rushed to make money off the image.
An online retailer unaffiliated with the Trump campaign, Proud Patriots, started immediately selling a trading card featuring Trump's blood-splattered face and pumped fist for $29.99, and others started selling T-shirts, tote bags, sweatshirts, mugs and Koozies with the image, Raw Story reported.
None of the retailers appeared to get permission from Vucci and the Associated Press or Getty Images photographer Anna Moneymaker, who captured the moment as well.
Trump's own presidential campaign quickly began fundraising off the attempt on Trump's life.
