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Topline
A website that pays licensing fees to President Donald Trump is selling merchandise bearing the official presidential seal—including a $150 record player and $20 beer pong set with “Presidential themed balls”—that could violate federal law restricting commercial use of the seal.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Lee Greenwood as Greenwood sings “God Bless the USA” at a rally in March 2017 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Key Facts
GodBlessTheUSABible.com, which is affiliated with musician Lee Greenwood, sells a Donald Trump Record Player featuring the unaltered presidential seal on its cover and Patriotic Pong, a beer pong set displaying the seal’s image but with text reading “Donald J. Trump President of the United States” instead of the official seal’s text.
Federal law prohibits anyone—unless authorized under regulations prescribed by the president and published in the Federal Register—from manufacturing or selling likenesses of the presidential seal or “any substantial part thereof” in a way that could suggest a sponsorship, with violations punishable by fines and up to six months in prison.
While Trump’s golf courses have displayed the presidential seal, the beer pong set and record player appear to be the first time the seal has appeared on merchandise connected to Trump.
The White House referred questions to the Trump Organization, and the Trump Organization, GodBlessTheUSABible.com and Greenwood did not respond to requests for comment.
Key Background
GodBlessTheUSABible.com pays licensing fees to CIC Ventures LLC to use Trump’s name, likeness and image, according to its FAQ. Trump is the sole owner of CIC Ventures LLC through the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, per his latest financial disclosure. He can earn income from his businesses while in office through the trust. He is its sole donor and beneficiary, while Donald Trump Jr. serves as the trustee, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and prior Trump Organization statements. The Trump Organization confirmed in an April regulatory filing in the United Kingdom that Trump retains control over his businesses. A review of the Federal Register shows no published authorizations for GodBlessTheUSABible.com to use the seal.
GodBlessTheUSA.com sells a beer pong set that displays an adaptation of the presidential seal on both balls and cups.
godblesstheusa.com
Big Number
Six: The number of Trump golf courses where the presidential seal has turned up since 2021. Markers on the courses have been spotted at Trump’s courses in the Bronx; Bedminster, New Jersey; Jupiter and West Palm Beach, Florida; and Westchester, New York. A golden version hangs on the wall in the dining room of his D.C.-area club.
News Peg
Shortly before his 2017 inauguration, Trump attorney Sheri Dillon said her client had “instructed us to take all steps realistically possible to make it clear that he is not exploiting the office of the presidency for his personal benefit.” Trump has expanded his merchandising operation in his second term, well beyond the GodBlessTheUSABible.com site co-opting the presidential seal. The Trump Organization’s e-commerce outlet, TrumpStore.com, which largely shied away from presidential-themed swag during his first term, now has an entire 45-47 collection. Earlier in November, the Trump Organization announced a licensed vendor’s release of the second edition of a silver coin, selling for up to $460, with Trump in profile on the front and “president of the United States” emblazoned underneath. As of September, Trump’s net worth had jumped about $3 billion in the past year, according to Forbes’ estimates, driven largely by crypto ventures.
Chief Critic
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog, has twice urged the Department of Justice to investigate the Trump clubs’ use of the presidential seal. A CREW spokesperson said he did not know of any response to the group’s complaints and the Justice Department did not respond to an inquiry. Any action it may have taken does not appear to be public.
Will Trump Or Godblesstheusabible.com Face Any Legal Consequences?
Enforcement of the presidential seal law is rare. Past cases, such as The Onion, which received a cease-and-desist in 2005 after using the seal in a parody of President George W. Bush’s weekly radio address, suggest regulators have typically issued warnings rather than pursued criminal charges.
