BROOKLYN, NY; April 13, 2018 — A basic Google search of “Trump suits” brings up the results pictured above — including a suit for sale at Walmart, which is a working click through, presumably selling off what was left of the line Macy’s stopped selling after then-candidate Trump’s remarks about Mexican immigrants being criminals and rapists. The Google results also include a (theoretically, or at least it says so) paid Macy’s ad for those suits right up top that takes you to an “oops” non-working page.
Clicking through to trump.com/merchandise/signature-collection/ takes you to a page where the only working link is for eyewear at eyeglasses.com, which is not one of the active licensees in a Washington Post article detailing the status of the Donald Trump licensing program. The Post finds two of 19 companies Trump said were paying royalties in 2015 still doing so.
While the article sometimes compares apples to oranges (estimated retail sales vs. royalties), let’s extrapolate: In 2009, the Post notes, Trump claimed licensees sold $215 million of Trump-branded goods, which (my estimate) would have yielded him roughly $9 million in royalties. By 2015, per the Post, royalties were down to $2.4 million, while Trump’s 2017 financial disclosure reports royalties of $370,000.
These days the Trump Organization sells Trump-branded caps, gifts, and other items that it sources, inventories, and markets (as opposed to using licensees). Full Washington Post report here.