Welcome to Thursday’s edition of Washington Secrets, your deep dive into the nation’s politics and power. Today, we go beyond the headlines in Donald Trump’s latest financial disclosures, and we wonder whether he should be announcing that he is planning a “really long speech” on Saturday. We are off tomorrow but back in harness on Monday, after the holiday. Happy Fourth.Watches, golden sneakers, and books. Lots of books.While media attention has focused on the crypto windfall that helped Donald Trump make more than a billion dollars since returning to office, his financial disclosures reveal the extraordinary earning power of this president.
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:
