Mystery of new Trump company uncovered: It sells T-shirts, caps
NEW YORK – For more than a week, nobody at the Trump Organization wanted to talk about the mysterious new corporation from which President Trump earned more than $100,000 last year.
The new venture, T Retail, came to light on Trump’s 92-page financial disclosure statement released last week, which describes it as an “online retail business.”
T Retail was formed in Delaware in May 2017, according to corporate records reviewed by USA TODAY, and filed business registration paperwork in Florida, Louisiana, New York and Virginia.
The company’s business registration activity matches the launch of TrumpStore.com, a store selling goods emblazoned with the president’s last name, which announced its launch in early November 2017. The store collects sales tax in the same four states where records reveal corporate filings for T Retail.
The store sells everything from T-shirts and hats to dog leashes and gold-bar-shaped coin banks branded with the Trump name. A can of Trump deodorant sells for $14, while a Trump bathrobe costs $125.
Kathleen Clark, a professor at Washington University School of Law who specializes in legal and government ethics, said that although the business does not appear to violate ethics standards, it is “seriously not normal” for a politician to personally profit from a new business based on the use of his or her name.
“The idea of opening up a store to sell merchandise with your name when your name is more prominent because you’re president of the United States — arguably, this is another example of Trump trying to benefit financially from the presidency,” she said.
Donald Trump Jr., who is listed as the manager and president of T Retail, did not respond to emailed questions. Nor did Trump Organization attorney Allen Weisselberg, who is listed as the corporation’s vice president, secretary and treasurer.
Business has been brisk. T Retail brought in $107,186 in 2017, according to the president’s financial disclosure statement. The disclosure indicates Trump — who donated his presidential salary to various federal departments — earned about $50,000 a month from the online store selling items branded with his name.
“The idea of opening up a store to sell merchandise with your name when your name is more prominent because you’re president of the United States — arguably, this is another example of Trump trying to benefit financially from the presidency.” Kathleen Clark Washington University School of Law
Though his sons run his businesses, the companies were placed in a trust over which Trump keeps sole ownership, and he can withdraw funds.
The Trump Store has a physical location that opened in the basement of Trump Tower in late 2017. The Trump Organization said income from the physical store is not included in the $107,186 reported for the online store.
Barbara Perry, presidential studies director at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, said Trump is “an unprecedented president by virtually any yardstick.”
“He’s elected because he’s a businessman and an entrepreneur in the media business — and it’s all about name recognition and name branding,” she said. “He uses his presidency to increase that brand and the importance of that brand.”