April 2, 2026, 3:46 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump’s two eldest sons are selling blankets, mugs, tote bags and T-shirts plastered with the phrase “Trump 250,” in a move government watchdog groups argue improperly allows the president to cash in on the national commemoration.
On its official retail website, the Trump Organization, run by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, is marketing a range of merchandise, from a $38 water bottle to a $200 airplane blanket, with the “exclusive Trump 250 logo.”
The items feature a logo with “Trump” in black capital letters above a stylized red, white and blue “250.” It’s similar, though not identical, to the logo of America250, the official, nonpartisan group created by Congress to plan the country’s semiquincentennial celebration. News of the merchandise was first reported by NOTUS.
The paraphernalia, newly listed on the Trump Store, arrives a month after the company that manages the president’s intellectual holdings filed a slew of trademark applications related to the 250th.
Ethics groups point to the for-sale items as part of a growing list of evidence they say suggests the president is hijacking bipartisan plans for the milestone commemoration to benefit his personal interests.
Meghan Faulkner, communications director for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, called it the “latest instance of President Trump blending his personal business with government functions.”
“While not illegal, it is profoundly unethical for the president to focus on personal profit while Americans are struggling to make ends meet,” she said in a statement.
Trump ran the Trump Organization until January 2017, when he took office for his first term and handed day-to-day management of the company to his two sons. But Trump has maintained ownership of the company and has a financial stake in it.
The White House denied accusations that the president is using the commemorations for his own financial gain.
“President Trump is ensuring that America gets the spectacular birthday it deserves,” Davis Ingle, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement. “The only special interest guiding the Trump Administration’s decision-making is the best interest of the American people.”
The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nicole Townes, a licensing attorney with Friedland Cianfrani, said it typically takes the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which Trump oversees as president, between 18 and 24 months to approve marks. Most companies, Townes said, do sell items with their trademark before their application is approved.
And based on the lengthy timeline, the Trump 250 trademark applications aren’t likely to get the government’s thumbs up before the country’s extravagant July 4 celebrations, or even the end of the year.
Karissa Waddick covers America’s 250th anniversary for USA TODAY. She can be reached at kwaddick@usatoday.com.
