Those are just some of the products Donald Trump is hawking while he runs to unseat President Joe Biden.
They join a sprawling catalog of Trump-branded merchandise, ranging from steaks to scented candles, that the businessman-turned-president has licensed over the years.
But as his campaign coffers dwindle and his fortune comes under threat, Trump — who has never completely severed his political career from his financial one — is now actively intertwining his business ventures with his White House bid.
“There is no precedent for this level” of business activity during a presidential campaign, Harvard Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig told CNBC, though “the trend has been building for many years.”
Brendan Fischer, deputy executive director of money-in-politics watchdog Documented, agreed.
Donald Trump introduced his new line of signature shoes on Feb. 17, 2024 in Philadelphia.Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images file
“I can’t think of any other modern example of a presidential candidate hawking an array of goods for their private benefit,” Fischer said.
For an average candidate, that activity might trigger a campaign finance investigation — but it likely won’t for Trump, who has been selling branded goods long before he entered politics, according to Fischer.
“Trump is a unique case,” he said.
That uniqueness was on full display Tuesday, as Trump unveiled his latest promotion: a $60 Bible that includes copies of the nation’s founding documents, along with lyrics from country star Lee Greenwood’s hit song, “God Bless the U.S.A.”
The song by Greenwood, who is partnering with Trump to endorse the high-priced holy book, is a regular needle drop at the presumptive Republican nominee’s campaign rallies.
Trump made the campaign connection even more explicit in a video announcing the promotion, warning that Americans’ rights are under threat and declaring, “we’re gonna get it turned around.” He also invoked his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” multiple times.
It is unclear how much money Trump is making off the Bible — he is receiving royalties from its sales, a person familiar with the arrangement told The New York Times — but whatever he gets will be effectively going into his pocket.
The website for the Bibles says it has no link to Trump’s campaign. It instead uses Trump’s name, likeness and image under paid license from a company called CIC Ventures LLC.
Trump’s 2023 financial disclosure calls him the “Manager, President, Secretary, & Treasurer” of CIC Ventures, and lists his revocable trust as the sole owner of the company. Trump has made more than $5 million in speaking engagements through the company, the disclosure shows. Florida business records show CIC’s address is the same as Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Lessig noted that Trump’s business moves do not appear to be violating campaign ethics or financial rules.
“I don’t think there’s any ethical problem with it at all — so long as the proper reporting requirements are complied with,” the professor said.
“There may well be a strategic or brand problem with it, but that’s the same as with any political speech,” he added.
A Trump campaign spokesman did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Trump’s Biblical endorsement came during Holy Week, the run-up to Easter and a sacred time for Christians. It also came less than six weeks after Trump traveled to a sneaker convention in Philadelphia to launch his own line of tennis shoes.
TOKYO — Japan’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets that it’s developing with Britain and Italy to other countries, in the latest move away from the country’s postwar pacifist principles.
The contentious decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan’s role in the joint fighter jet project and is part of a move to build up the Japanese arms industry and bolster its role in global security.
The Cabinet also endorsed a revision to Japan’s arms equipment and technology transfer guidelines to allow coproduced lethal weapons to be sold to countries other than the partners.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the changes are necessary given Japan’s security environment, but stressed that Japan’s pacifist principles remain unchanged.
“In order to achieve a fighter aircraft that meets the necessary performance and to avoid jeopardizing the defense of Japan, it is necessary to transfer finished products from Japan to countries other than partner countries,” Hayashi told reporters, adding that Tokyo will follow a strict approval process for jet sales.
“We have clearly demonstrated that we will continue to adhere to our basic philosophy as a peaceful nation,” he said.
Japan has long restricted arms exports under the country’s pacifist constitution, but has rapidly taken steps to deregulate amid rising regional and global tensions, especially from nearby China.
The decision on jets will allow Japan to export lethal weapons it coproduces to other countries for the first time.
Japan is working with Italy and Britain to develop an advanced fighter jet to replace its aging fleet of American-designed F-2 fighters, and the Eurofighter Typhoons used by the British and Italian militaries.
Japan, which was previously working on a homegrown design to be called the F-X, agreed in December 2022 to merge its effort with a British-Italian program called the Tempest for deployment in 2035. The joint project, known as the Global Combat Air Program or GCAP, is based in Britain.
Japan hopes the new plane will offer advanced capabilities Japan needs amid growing tensions in the region, giving it a technological edge against regional rivals China and Russia.
Because of its wartime past as aggressor and the devastation that followed its defeat in World War II, Japan adopted a constitution that limits its military to self-defense. The country long maintained a strict policy to limit transfers of military equipment and technology and ban all exports of lethal weapons.
Opponents have criticized Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government for committing to the fighter jet project without providing an explanation to the public or seeking approval for the major policy change.
To address such concerns, the government is limiting exports of codeveloped lethal weapons to the jet for now, and has promised that no sales will be made for use in active wars.
The government also assured that the revised guideline for the time being applies only to the jet and that Cabinet approval would be required. Potential purchasers will also be limited to the 15 countries that Japan has signed defense partnership and equipment transfer deals with.
Recent polls suggest that public opinion is divided on the plan.
In 2014, Japan began to export some nonlethal military supplies, and in December, it approved a change that would allow sales of 80 lethal weapons and components that it manufactures under licenses from other countries back to the licensors. The change cleared the way for Japan to sell U.S.-designed Patriot missiles to the United States, helping replace munitions that Washington is sending to Ukraine.
In its decision, the Cabinet said that the arms export ban on finished products would hinder efforts to develop the new jet, and limit Japan to a supporting role in the project. Italy and Britain are eager to make sales of the jet in order to defray development and manufacturing costs.
Kishida sought Cabinet approval before signing the GCAP agreement in February, but it was delayed by resistance from his junior coalition partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito party.
The change also comes as Kishida is planning an April state visit to Washington, where he is expected to stress Japan’s readiness to take on a greater role in military and defense industry partnerships.
Exports would also help strengthen Japan’s defense industry, which historically has catered only to the country’s Self-Defense Forces, as Kishida seeks to build up the military. Despite its effort over the past decade, the industry has still struggled to draw customers.
Italy’s one-euro-home sales have been attracting a lot of interest over the past few years, with dozens opting to snap up abandoned properties in some of the country’s depopulated towns.
But while towns like Mussomeli in Sicily and Zungoli in Campania have managed to offload various abandoned dwellings to foreigners longing to live the Italian dream, some have struggled to sell their empty homes.
Among them is Patrica, a remote medieval village of barely 3,000 residents located south of Rome, where more than 40 properties deserted in the early 1900s have been left to rot.
Perched on a rocky plateau overlooking the Sacco valley in central Italy, Patrica is an idyllic spot, but life here wasn’t easy for locals in the past.
Abandoned homes
Italian village Patrica, located south of Rome, is struggling to offload its abandoned homes. – Comune di Patrica
Many left in search of a brighter future elsewhere, leaving their homes empty for decades.
In an attempt to breathe new life into the dying village, the town’s mayor Lucio Fiordaliso has been trying to emulate the success of other Italian villages who’ve put their empty homes up for sale for one euro, or just over a dollar. He’s so far had little success.
“We first mapped all abandoned houses and made an official call out to the original owners to invite them to hand over their dilapidated family properties, but we managed to sell just two homes for one euro,” Fiordaliso tells CNN.
While local authorities in towns left underpopulated due to earthquakes and other natural calamities have the jurisdiction to put abandoned homes up for sale without permission from the owners, this isn’t the case for Patrica and other towns like it.
“We first need the availability of owners, or their heirs, in disposing of their old houses,” says Fiordaliso.
“Only then can we place these properties up for sale with their consent, which makes the process very complicated. Almost impossible.”
Fiordaliso explains that the town received a “positive response” from 10 owners after sending out a “public call to involve them in our one-euro-homes project,” but they withdrew at the last minute. The rest never replied.
Public call
Many of the town’s local families left in search of a brighter future elsewhere, leaving their homes empty for decades. – Comune di Patrica
Fiordaliso feels that those who changed their minds may have done so because of issues with other relatives who owned shares of the same property.
Abandoned buildings in old Italian towns are sometimes split between multiple heirs who own just a section – like a bathroom, balcony, kitchen – and nothing can be sold without written consent from all heirs, as per Italian law.
In the past, it was customary for children to inherit parts of their family home, including patches of land, wells and orchards.
But it’s not always a guarantee that relatives will still be on good terms and/or in contact years down the line.
“The disposal of potential one euro homes faced a deadlock as most relatives sharing the same property were at odds with one another for personal reasons or couldn’t agree on the sale, some hardly spoke or knew each other, others lived in distant cities and even abroad,” says the mayor.
In some instances, homes were never officially split between heirs in the past, so the ownership line had broken along the way without a clear indication as to who should be the current owner.
According to Fiordaliso, tracking down the descendants of owners who’d long migrated overseas, mainly to the US, Canada and Argentina and perhaps had different last names, or may have passed on their Italian property to foreigners without notifying Patrica’s town hall, has been a very hard task.
“It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” he adds.
The only two abandoned homes that Patrica managed to sell as part of its one-euro scheme were fully owned by two locals, so no liaising with fourth-degree cousins or great-great-grandsons was required, and they could sell the properties without any complications.
Family ties
The remote medieval village has a population of around 3,000. – Comune di Patrica
In situations where family feuds are at play, relatives could choose not to sell their share due to legal issues tied to inheritance disputes, or even as a form of revenge.
And original owners who’ve been living elsewhere for many years may be wary of making themselves known to local authorities and potentially being hit with back taxes for their property and waste disposal charges of up to 2,500 euros (around $2,730 per year, plus unpaid utility bills
Another reason that the one euro scheme never really kicked off in Patrica could be due to the condition of its forsaken homes.
Some of the houses are simply too neglected to sell, even if the owners were willing to agree to it.
Patrica local Gianni Valleco and his two brothers decided to place their parents’ abandoned home on the market to see what would happen, but soon found that the house was far from desirable.
“We thought, ‘Why not give it a go’? Even if it’s just for one euro, we’d be rid of a heap of useless stones. We were curious to see if someone might be interested anyway in buying it,” says Valleco.
“We were aware that after half a century our parents’ home had turned into rubble, it was totally destroyed, like razed to the ground.
“The roof and most walls had collapsed, leaving an open-air room covered in grass and bushes. All there remained was a patch of land, an ugly garden right in the heart of the historical center.”
According to Valleco, a neighbor had been using what remained of the home to dump their old stuff.
“We then realized nobody would ever buy it,” he says. “It’s a bad investment requiring lots of money to rebuild the house. It’s more worth buying a tiny rural cottage in the surroundings.”
Thankfully, not all of the deserted homes in Patrica that could be potentially sold for one euro are in quite such a terrible state, and some have garnered interest from potential buyers.
“A few foreigners came to see the abandoned one-euro dwellings. There was lots of interest but unfortunately we had nothing to offer them,” says the mayor, adding that those interested were from the US and Europe.
In the meantime, Fiordaliso has been coming up with new ways to boost the town’s appeal in the hope of luring newcomers.
New scheme
The town hall recently funded the makeover of the external façades of some ancient palazzos, prompting several locals to entirely restyle their old family homes and put them to use after decades of neglect.
Local resident Alessandra Pagliarosi took things a step further by turning the 1950s mansion inherited by her husband into an elegant B&B called Patricia.
“We redid the roof, which was practically no longer there, and the interior. The mayor’s move finally gave us a good excuse to fully renovate the property which had been sitting there uselessly,” says Pagliarosi, who benefited from the new tax breaks introduced by the town hall to revive the local economy.
Those who decide to kickstart a commercial activity like an B&B or artisan boutique in the ancient district are exempt from paying taxes on waste disposal, advertisement and public space use for 10 years and granted tax credits for restructuring costs.
“For a small B&B, that would amount to a total of roughly 1,200 euros (around $1,310) per year in tax savings, which is a significant amount of money,” says Pagliarosi.
Foreigners planning to relocate to Patrica and launch a small business are also entitled to the tax benefits.
So far, two new B&Bs and one restaurant have opened up as a result.
Local realtor Ilario Grossi, who runs Immobil Lepini estate agency, located in the nearby town of Ceccano, says several American descendants of emigrant families recently visited Patrica to look at properties.
But the town’s ready-to-occupy homes, with two-bedroom properties starting at 20,000 euros ($21,832,) proved to be more appealing.
“There is interest, but then when many (foreigners) actually see the bad shape of the old homes they’d prefer to opt for turn-key apartments that are already restyled or in need of just minor fixes,” says Grossi.
“So it’s much more convenient to buy one of these newer ones than grab an old building in need of a major renovation, where the final cost would end up being much higher.”
Despite these challenges, Fiordaliso hasn’t given up on selling some of the town’s long neglected homes, even if it means having to negotiate between warring relatives.
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Billy Porter revealed in a recent interview with Evening Standard that he has to sell his house amid the ongoing strikes in Hollywood in order to save money.
Porter, an Emmy winner for his work on FX’s “Pose,” was speaking to the outlet to promote his music career and stayed clear of discussing any of his film and television work. When the topic of the strikes was brought up, Porter said he’s having to take cost-saving measures in his real life as various projects he was set to work on in September have been tabled.
“I have to sell my house,” Porter said. “Yeah! Because we’re on strike. And I don’t know when we’re gonna go back [to work]. The life of an artist, until you make f— you money — which I haven’t made yet — is still check-to-check. I was supposed to be in a new movie, and on a new television show starting in September. None of that is happening. So to the person who said ‘we’re going to starve them out until they have to sell their apartments,’ you’ve already starved me out.”
Porter was referring to an article published in July by Deadline that cited an anonymous Hollywood executive saying the studios would hold out on meeting with the WGA again until its members went broke. The actor also lambasted Disney CEO Bob Iger for a July 13 interview he gave at the Sun Valley Conference in which he said WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikers were not being “realistic” with their demands.
“In the late Fifties, early Sixties, when they structured a way for artists to be compensated properly through residual [payments], it allowed for the two percent of working actors — and there are 150,000 people in our union — who work consistently…Then streaming came in,” Porter told the Evening Standard.
“There’s no contract for it…And they don’t have to be transparent with the numbers — it’s not Nielsen ratings anymore. The streaming companies are notoriously opaque with their viewership figures. The business has evolved. So the contract has to evolve and change, period. To hear Bob Iger say that our demands for a living wage are unrealistic? While he makes $78,000 a day?”
“I don’t have any words for it, but: f— you,” Porter added about Iger. “That’s not useful, so I’ve kept my mouth shut. I haven’t engaged because I’m so enraged. I’m glad I’ve been over here [in England]. But when I go back I will join the picket lines.”
When asked about the strikes in July, Iger responded: “It’s very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption…There’s a level of expectation that [strikers] have, that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”
SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher also slammed Iger’s comments in an interview with Variety, calling them “terribly repugnant,” “out of touch” and “positively tone deaf.”
“I don’t think it served him well,” Drescher added. “If I were that company, I would lock him behind doors and never let him talk to anybody about this, because it’s so obvious that he has no clue as to what is really happening on the ground with hard working people that don’t make anywhere near the salary he is making. High seven figures, eight figures, this is crazy money that they make, and they don’t care if they’re land barons of a medieval time.”
Actor Billy Porter said he is being forced to put his home on the market due to financial struggles stemming from the Hollywood strikes.
“I have to sell my house because we’re on strike,” Porter said in an interview with the Evening Standard published last week. “And I don’t know when we’re gonna go back [to work].”
The star of “Pose” and “Cinderella” said most people misunderstand actors’ wealth, assuming they have enough money to survive this strike without major lifestyle changes. He says he has “already been starved out.”
“The life of an artist, until you make f***-you money — which I haven’t made yet — is still check-to-check,” Porter said. “I was supposed to be in a new movie, and on a new television show starting in September. None of that is happening.”
Porter pointed to an issue that has been front and center for striking members of both the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America: that the pay they rely on from residuals has dropped dramatically due to streaming.
“There’s no contract for it… And they don’t have to be transparent with the numbers — it’s not Nielsen ratings anymore, the streaming companies are notoriously opaque with their viewership figures,” he said.
“The business has evolved. So the contract has to evolve and change,” the artist added.
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher told “CBS Mornings in July that most members “don’t even meet the threshold to get health insurance, which is $26,000 a year, and in most jobs that would be considered a part-time job.”
While on strike, Porter has been across the pond in England, recording an album called “The Black Mona Lisa.”
Hollywood writers have been on strike since early May, and they were joined on the picket lines by Hollywood actors in mid-July after the two groups each failed to reach a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group which represents all major Hollywood studios. It marks the first time since 1960 that both groups have been on strike simultaneously.
Paramount Pictures, one of the studios involved in the negotiations, and CBS News are both part of Paramount Global. Some CBS News staff are SAG-AFTRA or Writers Guild members, but their contracts are not affected by the strikes.
Simrin Singh
Simrin Singh is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.
