Grifter gonna grift
Former president Donald Trump is promoting $100,000 watches branded after him as he seeks a return to the White House, the latest — and priciest — product he has helped sell in a string of unusual for-profit enterprises for a presidential candidate.
“Don’t wait, they will go fast,” Trump said. “GET YOUR TRUMP WATCH RIGHT NOW!”
The $100,000 watch is the most expensive merchandise that Trump has lent his name to during his 2024 presidential campaign. He has pitched $499 sneakers, $99 digital trading cards — even a Bible that is about $60.
Ethics experts say there is no precedent for someone monetizing the presidency — or a presidential campaign — in the way Trump has.
Last week, Trump
announced he was selling a $100 silver coin with his face on it, days after he
debuted a cryptocurrency business, World Liberty Financial, with the help of his sons.
“[Forty] days out from election day. Donald Trump is selling $100,000 watches,” Harris campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa
said on X. “Not a joke. Trump is more focused on himself than anyone else.”
For
other Trump critics, the watch sales evoked an earlier chapter of his political life, when Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) attacked Trump during a 2016 presidential primary debate.
“Here’s the guy that inherited $200 million,” Rubio said. “If he hadn’t inherited $200 million, you know where Donald Trump would be right now? Selling watches in Manhattan.”
Shoes, cologne, bibles, steaks, fake educations, coins, trading cards, watches, trumpy bear (a teddy bear), national secrets, picture books, etc.