A Democracy Drive Thread
Cartoon NFTs, $399 sneakers, $60 Bibles, $100,000 watches, $249 cologne and a $499 phone — licensing the name to whatever sells.
Long before — and throughout — his second term, Trump has licensed his name to a steady stream of consumer products, often timed to campaign moments and mounting legal bills. This thread catalogs the merchandise in chronological order, with sources. The items are real and openly sold; what they share is the direct conversion of political celebrity into branded revenue.
December 15, 2022
Between December 2022 and 2024 Trump released four collections of $99 digital “trading cards” (NFTs). The first, in December 2022, depicted him as a superhero, astronaut and cowboy and sold out in two days, raising about $4.5 million. A second series followed in April 2023; a December 2023 “mugshot” edition, tied to his Georgia arrest, gave buyers of 47 cards a physical card containing a piece of the suit he wore for the mugshot; and a 2024 “America First” set offered a fragment of his presidential-debate suit to buyers of 15 or more. He reported earning roughly $7 million from the NFTs in a financial disclosure.
February 17, 2024
At Sneaker Con in Philadelphia, Trump debuted $399 gold “Never Surrender” high-top sneakers, which sold out in hours. The same licensing operation went on to sell Trump-branded cologne and perfume, including a later “Victory 47” line priced at $249.
March 26, 2024
Trump promoted a $59.99 “God Bless the USA” Bible — bundled with the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the lyrics to Lee Greenwood’s song — from which he received royalties, as he faced mounting legal bills.
September 26, 2024
Trump launched an “Official Trump Watch Collection” topping out at a $100,000 diamond-encrusted, 18-karat-gold model — just 147 made, some $14.7 million worth — alongside $100 commemorative coins bearing his likeness, rolled out in the campaign’s final weeks.
June 16, 2025
Trump Mobile, a wireless service licensing the Trump name, announced a $499 gold-toned “T1” smartphone, promoted by Eric and Donald Trump Jr. The launch took an estimated $59 million in deposits from around 590,000 buyers — but nearly a year later, after repeated delays and a quietly raised price, no phones had shipped.