President-elect Donald Trump has unveiled a new line of perfume, cologne and self-branded wristwatches celebrating his November election win, but the expensive merchandise sparked fresh outrage on social media, with critics accusing Trump of grifting his supporters in the middle of the holidays.
Trump poured more fuel on the fire after posting a hokey new ad for his fragrance line on Sunday, which featured a clipped-out photo of Trump superimposed next to first lady Jill Biden. The doctored image drew intense criticism, with many calling the marketing scheme a deliberate provocation aimed at liberals.
“I call them Fight, Fight, Fight because they represent us WINNING,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, touting his new “Trump Perfumes & Colognes.”
“Great Christmas gifts for the family,” he noted.
The motto on the ad states, “A Fragrance Your Enemies Can’t Resist!”
For the low, low price of $200, you can smell like a piece of shit
byu/hec_ramsey inTikTokCringe
On X, conservative satirist Mrs. Betty Bowers blasted Trump for Photoshopping himself into a photograph of Jill Biden, who appears somewhat ready to burst into laughter, with the fragrances sitting oddly and cheesily in the foreground.
“Donald uses a pic of himself with Jill Biden to sell his tacky fragrances—without being savvy enough to realize that Jill Biden is clearly trying very hard not to laugh at whatever stupid thing Trump just said,” Bowers wrote.
Trump’s latest merchandise push adds to an extensive catalog of overpriced items like fragrances, NFT trading cards, and $10,000 autographed guitars, which he has sold for multiple millions of dollars throughout his campaign.
There’s even a “Trump Fragrances” website that showcases his new brand of cologne and perfume named “Fight, Fight, Fight” — which Trump is said to have uttered after he survived an attempted assassination at a campaign rally in July. Trump is also running ads on Sirius XM radio, touting his limited edition watches at gettrumpwatches.com.
The perfumes and colognes, which cost $199 each, are being promoted as embodying “strength, power, and victory,” with “rich, robust notes” for men and “delicate floral tones with a burst of citrus” for women.
Trump’s fragrances, priced at $199 each, come in at a premium compared to other popular scents. For example, Calvin Klein’s Obsession cologne is typically priced around $80 for a 4.2 oz bottle, while Clinique Happy perfume is usually priced around $70 for a 3.4 oz bottle. Another popular fragrance on the high end, Chanel No. 5, costs roughly $130 for a 3.4 oz bottle, but still a lower price than Trump’s brand.
Trump, who previously marketed a “Trump Watches” line with prices upwards of $100,000, has now unveiled new offerings priced from $499 to a collector’s set valued at more than $5,300.
The new watch collection includes a silver “Trump Racer” priced at $2,999 and an $899 “First Lady” edition, both prominently displaying Trump’s name and signature.
The majority of voices on social media made it clear that Trump’s ad didn’t leave them smelling roses.
Gizmodo’s tech reporter Matt Novak, who previously requested FTC complaints about scams on Truth Social, commented on the ad, saying, “The meme over on Twitter right now is that Jill Biden wants to have sex with Trump, so naturally Trump is embracing that to sell his perfume.”
“Aside from everything else, he’s just so f—— tacky.”
Wu Tang is for the Children, a popular X account with liberal influencers, said, “Trump now using picture with Jill Biden to sell his cologne….gross.”
The controversy follows a similar eruption involving his wife, Melania Trump, who got roasted on social media last week for hawking $90 Christmas ornaments at a time when families are struggling to afford Christmas gifts.
The soon-to-be first lady appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Dec. 6 to show off her new line of $90 brass Christmas ornaments that she said paid homage to the United States.
One of the ornaments in the collection is a limited-edition piece called “Lady Liberty,” inspired by a necklace she wore in her modeling days in Paris, which costs $275.
Critics slammed Melania for taking part in an alleged money grab before Trump takes office again in January, with Trump recently announcing that half a dozen seats at his inaugural ball can be had for $1 million in donations.
“The Trump family grift never ends,” Republicans against Trump wrote in a post on Dec. 6, along with a video clip of Melania’s appearance on Fox & Friends to promote the ornaments.
Throughout Trump’s campaign and following his election win, Trump has steadily ramped up his promotion of luxury merchandise, a move seen by critics as an effort to offset hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid legal fees.
In September, Trump unveiled a collection of “Trump Watches” valued at $100,000, adding to his growing list of expensive products, which included $100 silver coins—priced well above their market value—1,000 pairs of limited-edition gold sneakers, $60 Trump-branded Bibles, and NFT trading cards. He also marketed an earlier line of cologne and perfume branded as “Victory,” priced at $119, shortly after Election Day.
Last year, Trump sold digital trading cards featuring his infamous mug shot at the Fulton County Jail in August 2023. The deal included a bonus offer for a piece of the suit he wore when he turned himself in following his indictment on charges related to his alleged attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
Most of Trump’s latest revenue comes from his ownership of non-fungible tokens, which has reportedly earned him approximately $7.2 million in licensing fees. NFTs are unique digital items stored on a blockchain that prove ownership.
Unlike regular cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum— where each unit is the same as every other unit— each NFT is one-of-a-kind and can represent things like artwork, music, or collectibles. They’re becoming popular because they offer a safe way to buy and sell in the digital marketplace while proving you own exclusive content.
The Trump-branded Bibles generated about $300,000 in sales, while his $399 sneakers sold out, bringing in an additional $399,000. The signed and unsigned “American Eagle” electric guitars also sold out at prices of $11,500 and $1,500, respectively, generating a total of $4.6 million in sales, according to Forbes.
Trump’s venture into musical instruments led to a cease and desist order from Gibson Guitars in late November, claiming that his design for the “Limited Edition ‘45’ Guitar” violated their exclusive trademarks, specifically the iconic Les Paul body shape.
Trump also reportedly sold seats to dinners with him at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The exact earnings from his earlier releases of watches and silver coins are unclear.
According to the latest Forbes estimates, Trump is the 546th-richest person in the world, with a net worth of $6.1 billion.
