Donald Trump has allowed his name to be stamped on a variety of products ranging from a Bible to NFTs.
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Former President Donald Trump's campaign might be cash-strapped, but that hasn't stopped him from hawking merchandise that will benefit him directly.
As a former reality TV star, Trump has put his name on everything from board games and steaks to the sides of buildings. According to his most recent financial disclosure, Trump is the manager and president of an LLC that has been the vehicle for many of his post-White House dealings.
Former presidents have long found ways to profit after leaving office. But unlike Trump, no modern one-term president has seriously sought to reclaim his old job.
President Ulysses S. Grant's widow, Julia Grant, made $450,000 off of the memoirs that he penned shortly before his death. More recent former presidents have found other avenues beyond just book sales.
Gerald Ford is regarded for kick-starting the trend of serving on corporate boards after the "accidental president" accepted seats from blue-chip companies like 20th Century Fox and American Express. Ronald Reagan caused a stir when he accepted $2 million for a series of appearances in Japan. Bill Clinton later electrified the speaking fees trend.
It's estimated that he and former former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton amassed a staggering $100 million fortune after she left office. Not to be outdone, Netflix reportedly paid Barack and Michelle Obama into the high eight figures.
As President George W. Bush explained his approach upon leaving office, it was time to "replenish the ol' coffers."
"I don't know what my dad gets," Bush told journalist Robert Draper. "But it's more than 50, 75" thousand dollars a speech. He added, "Clinton's making a lot of money."
Congress once feared former presidents living in destitution. Former President Harry Truman personally wrote to key members of Congress after he left office that he might have to resort to taking welfare. (New York Magazine uncovered evidence that strongly undermines Truman's widely attributed image of meager post-White House wealth.) After Truman's lobbying, lawmakers passed financial support for former presidents that continues to this day.
In addition to receiving lifetime Secret Service protection (a perk that briefly appeared to be going away and is now enshrined again in law), former presidents enjoy perks that cover office space, staff funding, and travel reimbursement.
Trump's businesses primarily include golf courses, hotels, resorts, other real estate holdings, and licensing his name. Both his campaign and his family's business have official stores selling various products. As has been previously reported, some Trump-branded products have been made in other countries, including China and Canada. His campaign appears to only sell merchandise made in the US. Trump-owned companies have filed for bankruptcy six times, including the Trump Taj Mahal, the Plaza Hotel, Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts, and Trump Entertainment Resorts.
Here's how Trump is trying to make some extra money in 2024.
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While not a product, Truth Social, Trump's social media platform, looms the largest in his post-presidential portfolio. The initial surge in share prices when the Truth's parent company went public caused Trump to soar back onto Bloomberg's Billionaire Index. (His status has sometimes changed amid the volatility in share prices.)
Trump's stake in Trump Media & Technology Group, Truth's parent company, is worth billions. The platform also illustrates the blend between Trump's business interests and campaign. He is undoubtedly Truth's greatest asset, a testament to the fact that he uses the platform almost exclusively even though major social companies have since reversed their post-January 6 bans on his accounts.
In a nod to his role, Trump Media & Technology Group is listed on Nasdaq under "DJT," the former president's initials.
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Trump is selling a copy of his favorite book: The Bible.
For $60, Trump's edition of the religious text includes "a "handwritten chorus to 'God Bless The USA' by Lee Greenwood.'" The former president frequently features the Greenwood patriotic anthem at his rallies.
The Trump Bible also includes a copy of the US Constitution, Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights.
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Three pairs of shoes emblazoned with a T are selling under Trump's umbrella. They range in price from the nearly all-gold "Never Surrender" high tops at $399 to the lower cut "Red Wave" and "POTUS 45."
According to the website that offered them for sale, only 1,000 pairs of the "Never Surrender" shoes were made. The company says that pairs have sold out. Like other current Trump products, the shoes come with the disclaimer that Trump himself is not selling the shoes but that the company licensed his name, image, and likeness. Trump is president of the LLC that sold his likeness rights.
The former president also attended SneakerCon, a shoe-focused convention in Philadelphia, to promote the shoe line.
Trump has licensed multiple editions of digital trading cards since leaving office. The most recent set, "The Mugshot edition," offered collectors a chance to own a physical card that included a swatch of the suit the former president wore for his Fulton County Georgia mugshot.
Cards were available for $99 a piece or $4,653 for the full set, which included an invitation to a dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club.
According to his most recent disclosure, Trump reported income of between $100,001 and $1 million from past NFT sales.
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The same company selling Trump shoes also sells cologne and perfume stamped with the former president's name. The "Victory47" bottles are each listed for $99 respectively. The cologne bottle's image, subject to change, has a Trump head topper.
Victory 47 is a nod to Trump's hope that he will win in November, making him both the 45th and 47th president.
