With Election Day on the horizon, former President Trump, as well as his family members, have noticeably used their platforms to push not only their political message, but also ones that could come with financial incentives.
The products they’re touting span from collector coins to Christmas ornaments — launching business ventures during a presidential election that some ethics watchers say is unusual this close to November.
“You don’t usually see a candidate launching new business ventures or doing any involvement with personal business while a candidate, but certainly not this close to an election,” said Jordan Libowitz, communications director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
“I can’t think of another instance in which a major candidate for not only president, but Senate or governor, this close to an election was launching [not] one but multiple new business ventures,” Libowitz added.
Among the things Trump has advertised are collector coins and digital trading cards, as well as a photo book, some which run as commercials and split screens during televised rallies.
On Saturday, former first lady Melania Trump announced she was selling a series of Christmas ornaments bearing her signature, and on Monday, she shared a link to a $600 gold necklace. She has also posted a series of videos to the social platform X promoting her upcoming memoir, including one in which she defended her past nude modeling.
And Trump family members earlier this month launched a cryptocurrency, dipping into the business Trump has rapidly embraced as a candidate.
The products are all outside business ventures not affiliated with Trump’s campaign, a person familiar with the matter told The Hill.
Trump regularly tells supporters he has lost a fortune by entering the political arena, pointing to the frequent attacks on his businesses and the lawsuits he’s faced, including a civil fraud case in New York where he was ordered to pay nearly $355 million in penalties.
“President Trump left his multi-billion-dollar real estate empire to run for office, donated his presidential government salary, and was the first President to actually lose net worth while serving in the White House,” Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “Unlike most politicians, President Trump didn’t get into politics for profit. He ran for president because he genuinely loves the people of this country and wants to make America great again.”
It’s not uncommon for candidates to publish memoirs around a campaign to create buzz and share more about themselves. Melania Trump is releasing a memoir Oct. 8, roughly one month before Election Day.
Meanwhile, the former president released a book of photos earlier this month titled “Save America” highlighting his presidency and time on the campaign trail. The book was published by a company founded by GOP operative Sergio Gor and Donald Trump Jr.
What’s less common is the promotion of other business ventures so close to an election.
Trump’s announcement of a cryptocurrency venture called World Liberty Financial alongside his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump has raised eyebrows given the former president could have significant influence around digital assets and how they are regulated if he retakes the White House.
“Having a presidential candidate get personally involved in this business at the same time when they’re laying out their own personal platform on that, that makes people ask questions about how much influence their personal bottom line would have on their policy preferences,” Libowitz said.
Trump’s critics, including those with Vice President Harris’s campaign, have highlighted the former president’s business promotions during the homestretch of the campaign to argue it is a sign he is only interested in serving himself.
“There are 45 days until election day,” Harris campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa posted on X after Trump shared the collector’s coins. “Trump is selling coins with his face on it. For $100. To line his own pockets. That’s who Donald Trump cares about.”
Mixing promotion with politics is nothing new for Trump.
The former president in March promoted “God Bless the USA” Bibles in the days leading up to Easter. He encouraged supporters to buy the $60 Bibles, named for the Lee Greenwood song that plays at Trump’s rallies. The New York Times reported Trump was not personally selling the Bibles, but he was getting royalties from purchases.
Trump has been selling digital assets built around his image and name since 2022, including one that monetized his mug shot in Georgia after he was indicted there in 2023.
Trump’s first term in office was marked by repeated criticisms and probes by Democrats about the blurring between the Trump administration and Trump’s businesses.
Trump opted not to place his assets in a blind trust when he took office, instead turning over control of his company to his two eldest sons. Democrats repeatedly accused the president of violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, which prohibits elected officials from receiving gifts or benefits from foreign governments without congressional approval.
A report from Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee released in January found Trump took in at least $7.8 million from foreign entities in 20 countries during his first term in office.