Trump hawks $100,000 watches as he leverages his candidacy for profit
By Steve Contorno and Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN
(CNN) — Donald Trump is now hawking a new line of watches, some with an eye popping six-figure price tag – the latest example of the former president cashing in on his name like no presidential candidate ever has.
The GOP nominee announced his latest branded merchandise, Trump Watches, on social media Thursday – 40 days before the election and on a day when he did not appear on the campaign trail. He told his supporters the watches would make good Christmas gifts and then directed them to a link where they could be purchased.
The watches retail for $499 but one series – Tourbillon – is priced at $100,000. They come in three different colors and are limited in number to 147.
“These watches are truly special—you’re going to love them,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, the same social media site where he shares political messages with his supporters.
A disclaimer on the website discloses that neither Trump nor his company designed, manufactured, distributed or sold the watches. Rather, a company named “TheBestWatchesOnEarth LLC” licensed the Trump name to sell the line of wrist watches.
Since entering the race nearly two years ago, Trump has netted millions of dollars selling new items featuring his name and likeness. For example, he last year made $7.2 million through a licensing deal with NFT INT, LLC, a company that is selling Trump digital NFT, or non-fungible token, “trading cards.”
He has also released a line of golden sneakers and two books through a publishing company co-founded by his son Donald Trump Jr., and has advertised a line of Trump-themed Bibles.
This week, he also launched “Trump Coins” – a 1oz .999% silver medallion with the former president’s face on one side and his signature on the White House on the back. Like the watches, the Trump Coins are the result of another licensing deal. The former president pushed the coins in a video message recorded at Mar-a-Lago, which was shot in the same room and in a similar style to videos his campaign has released.
Meanwhile, amid his exceptionally tight race against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump recently unveiled a new cryptocurrency venture – a project spearheaded by his sons and Steve Witkoff, his close friend and real estate developer.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
