Trump Org launches T45 Collection

Mar 01, 2021

The Trump Store now offers an entire line of merchandise pegged to Trump’s presidency

What began with a $36 ball cap has blossomed into an entire collection of Trump Organization merchandise pegged to Donald J. Trump’s presidency.

The T45 Collection debuted on TrumpStore.com, “the official retail website of The Trump Organization,” on or before February 19, according to the first date Google indexed the collection’s webpage.

Trump, of course, was the United States’ 45th president.

Other than red and white hats with USA on the front and “45” on the side, which went on sale on or before Feb. 15 as 1100 Pennsylvania previously reported, the rest of the new collection—so far—appears to have been assembled from the store’s pre-existing offerings. Those items include Trump camo hats, golf flags branded with Trump and the American flag, and Donald Trump Jr.’s self-published book “Liberal Privilege.”

1100 Pennsylvania was unable to find examples of the other living ex-presidents selling apparel, golf items, or glorified red Solo cups.

While descriptions for most T45 Collection products say that they are made in the U.S.A., at least two items do not make that claim (the $95 solar streak long sleeve zip mock and $185 Trump football).

While the Trump Store previously has introduced items associated with its owner’s presidency—most notably in March 2019, when it started selling a bar of soap displaying the White House underneath “Trump Hotels” on the wrapper—the T45 Collection is the most explicit example (yet) of the Trump Organization selling swag connected to the presidency.

At a 2017 press conference, the then-attorney for then-President-elect Trump, Sherri Dillon said, “[Trump] 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.”

As latest key date in Qanon hoax draws near, Trump Hotel D.C. rooms remain available—yet still priced well above the market

While room rates at the Trump Hotel D.C. have spiked around the date many followers of the Qanon hoax believe Donald J. Trump will regain the presidency, plenty of rooms remain available as that day draws near.

Borrowing from the Sovereign Citizens conspiracy, many Qanon acolytes falsely believe Trump will be inaugurated as the country’s 19th president on March 4 (for an explanation, watch Julian Feeld of the Qanon Anonymous podcast’s interview with Alisyn Camerota on CNN New Day). And since at least early February, room rates at the Trump Hotel D.C. on March 3 and 4 have been almost twice as high as any other day in the next two months—an increase not seen at other D.C. luxury hotels, as 1100 Pennsylvania reported earlier.

With the hoped-for re-installation less than three days away, rooms at the Trump Hotel D.C., however, remain both available and expensive, with the hotel’s cheapest rate for its lowest-tier room holding steady at $1,331 as of Monday afternoon. In addition to those deluxe rooms, the 263-room hotel’s website still shows most other types of rooms and suites remain available (including six pricy signature suites).

For more on the Trump Hotel D.C. and Qanon, check out “How Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C. hotel feeds QAnon’s March 4 conspiracy” by Suzanne Rowan Kelleher for Forbes.

Notable sightings

A glimpse of the foreign officials, government employees, politicians, lobbyists, and the like who patronize or appear at Trump businesses. Most people shown here have reasons to want to influence the former president, rely on his good graces for their livelihoods, or should have been providing oversight. Additionally, high-profile guests serve as draws for paying customers.

The Trump Hotel D.C. appears to have gone an entire weekend with no new photos from guests posted to Instagram’s location page for the business.

Former Director of National Intelligence and potential candidate to be the next governor of California Ric Grenell dined with former boss at Mar-a-Lago. Grenell promoted the visit and private club on social media.

Trump met at Mar-a-Lago with Texas Attorney General—and one-time Trump Hotel D.C. customer—Ken Paxton (R).

Former Illinois governor, “Apprentice” contestant, and Trump pardon recipient Rod Blagojevich dined at Mar-a-Lago.

Other Trump Organization news

“Over Trump’s presidency, Trump charged taxpayers more than $392,000 for rooms at Bedminster,” reported David Fahrenthold of The Washington Post.
A spokesperson for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) denied the lawmaker profited off his political action committee by collecting royalties from books sales to the PAC, reported Lauren Giella for Newsweek. That article, however, did not address that the Senator may have profited when his campaign purchased $150,000 of “books” as 1100 Pennsylvania reported previously.
“Manhattan prosecutor gets Trump tax records after long fight” by Associated Press for Politico
A new filing on Feb. 23 showed Donald Trump Jr. was deposed in the D.C. attorney general’s lawsuit that alleges the Trump Hotel D.C. and the Trump Inaugural Committee misused nonprofit funds. [H/T Ilya Marritz of WNYC]
Last week Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) “introduced the Restoring and Enforcing Accountability of Presidents (REAP) Act, a bill requiring the forfeiture of benefits for any former President convicted of a felony.”
“A lavish Trump Tower in Uruguay is testing the tarnished brand’s foreign appeal” by Ken Parks for Bloomberg
“Trump’s Dubai golf expansion gets delayed until at least 2022” by Ben Bartenstein and Sophie Alexander for Bloomberg
“Trump house next to Mar-a-Lago for sale at $49M” by Darrell Hofheinz for Palm Beach Daily News
Members of the American Bar Association enjoyed 10 percent the price of a deluxe room at the Trump Hotel D.C. through March 20—it’s a perk the one-time president’s hotel has previously offered to these attorneys
“Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Washington ‘outsider,’ spent donations on insider expenses” by Chris Joyner for The Atlanta Journal Constitution
“The secret life of the White House” by Susannah Jacob for The New Yorker

Reference section

Links to rundowns of developments in the House’s investigations and lawsuits, reference sheets for some of 1100 Pennsylvania’s previous reporting, and articles that provide the background on why all of this matters. The date published or last updated is in parentheses.

Trackers

House investigations (Dec. 20, 2020)
Lawsuits (Jan. 26, 2021)
Breakdown of judges’ rulings by political party of presidents who nominated them (July 13, 2020)
Health inspections (Oct. 6, 2020)
COVID-19 bailouts and charity (Nov. 30, 2020)

Notable hotel customers

Foreign governments with representatives spotted at the Trump Hotel D.C.: 33 (Sept. 22, 2020)
Trump cabinet members spotted at the Trump Hotel D.C.: 28 of 37 (Jan 21, 2021)
U.S. Senators who’ve supported the Trump Hotel D.C.: 35 of 65 Republicans, one Democrat (Jan. 21, 2021)
House Judiciary members who’ve supported the Trump Hotel D.C.: Seven of 17 Republicans, no Democrats (Sept. 25, 2020)
House Intelligence members who’ve supported the Trump Hotel D.C.: Four of eight Republicans, no Democrats (June 1, 2020)
House Oversight members who’ve supported the Trump Hotel D.C.: Nine of 17 Republicans, no Democrats (Aug. 2, 2020)
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management who’ve supported the Trump Hotel D.C.: Four out of six Republicans, one Democrat (July 1, 2020)
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R–CA) found Trump’s hotels competitive only after Trump’s election (Sept. 12, 2019)
Rudy Giuliani at the Trump Hotel D.C: A retrospective (April 30, 2019)

Summaries

“Stay to play: Inside the sordid history of Trump’s D.C. hotel—And why the president’s prized property could be headed for a reckoning” by your correspondent for Mother Jones (September 2020)
“Power tripping in the swamp: How Trump’s D.C. hotel swallowed Washington
The MAGA social scene is a movable feast, but its dark heart resides within the Old Post Office Building, where the Trump Org operates under a mercenary charter” by your correspondent for Vanity Fair (October 2019)
“Inside the world’s most controversial hotel: The hotel that was expected to take its place among the crown jewels of D.C.’s travel scene has become a magnet for protestors, a West Wing Annex, and—possibly—the center of a constitutional crisis.” by your correspondent for Condé Nast Traveler (May 2018)

Upcoming key dates

Sept. 23, 2019—House Judiciary Committee hearing “Presidential corruption: Emoluments and profiting off the presidency” (postponed, not yet rescheduled)

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