And how no product, no tie-in, no marketing opportunity is too outlandish to touch.

For critics, it will be a sign that he demeans the presidency at every turn. For supporters, it is simply a reminder that no leader has ever generated such feverish backing.

Trump earned $4.7 million from the sale of Trump-branded watches, including a “mug shot” model embedded with patches taken from clothing worn when he surrendered himself at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, where he was charged with racketeering in 2023.

The $2,999 watch displays a small patch of blue from his navy suit and a patch of red from his tie.

It is offered as a “luxurious piece of history,” with its onyx dial and 18-karat gold plating.

“Both pieces of fabric stand out beautifully as a symbol of the President’s determination & will to NEVER SURRENDER,” according to the marketing blurb.

It has long since sold out.

The watches were among the most successful of his ventures, which include the following:

• Trump sneakers and fragrances: $67,634. A modest amount for two lines. Victory 47, a fragrance that comes in men’s and women’s versions, sells for $249. “With every spray, Victory 47 captures confidence, beauty, and unstoppable determination,” reads the sales pitch for the female version. His shoe range included gold “Never Surrender High-Tops” which sold for $399.
• Trump guitars: $35,920. The range includes an American eagle acoustic guitar, signed by Trump, which sells for $10,750. It has “Make America Great Again” printed along its fretboard. Unsigned versions start at $1,250 on gettrumpguitars.com
• Save America: $1.9 million. A coffee-table book launched ahead of the 2024 elections makes Trump one of the biggest-selling authors of the past year. It is filled with photos of summits and key moments of the first Trump presidency, along with the president’s pithy summaries.
• The Trump Bible: $280,000. The big earner was the “Greenwood Bible” inspired by the song “God Bless the USA,” which was written by Lee Greenwood. A signed version goes for about $1,000, while the range includes several, cheaper, standard Bibles.
• Mar-a-Lago: $77 million in revenue. His flagship Florida club showed a 50% increase from his last disclosure in 2024 and is one of the businesses that has been a core part of his empire. In 2024, it was revealed that the initiation fee for joining the club now stands at $1 million.

The disclosures triggered pearl-clutching among Democrats, who accused the president of conflicts of interest and of ignoring ethics guardrails.

Trump’s supporters shrugged off the criticism as sour grapes.

“If the Democrats had anyone with the sort of appeal and star power as Donald Trump they would be doing the same thing,” an insider said.

“This is all just a reminder that he is the most famous person on the planet and a political juggernaut.”

Quote of the day

“And by the way, on July Fourth, it’s going to be approximately 107 degrees out, and I’m going to go and I’m going to make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything.”

That was what Trump said during his visit to the new library and museum honoring Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, in North Dakota. He is due to speak on the National Mall on Saturday evening before the traditional fireworks display.

But with tight security in place, brutal heat and humidity, plus everything pushed later into the night, officials are reportedly worried about crowd size. CNN reports that the president was furious after images circulated of his speech kicking off the Great American State Fair showed a sparse crowd.

Against that backdrop, the president’s promises to give a “really long speech” on Saturday may not be helpful.

Lunchtime reading

Inside the new Air Force One: Trump’s Qatari jet features massage chairs, Apple TV, gold fixtures: The gift from Qatar made her first flight as Air Force One yesterday. So what is it like?

Mamdani-backed candidate rails against billionaires despite her career benefiting from one: One hesitates to even flag this. It feels like shooting fish in a barrel. A Democrat campaigns against the influence of billionaires, and then it turns out … well, you can guess.

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