Donald Trump sparked a tsunami of social media outrage and gibes after unveiling his latest money-making scheme. The US President has not been averse to cashing in on his political success, releasing a new memecoin known as “$Trump” days before assuming office in January.
Investors rushed to snap it up, allowing the White House supremo and his partners to shake loose US$350 million in trading fees and dollar-tied crypto, according to the firm Chainalysis. The king of real estate has now decided it is time to “Make America smell great again”, as one social media user quipped. In a post to his Truth Social Platform, Trump proudly unveiled a line of success-scented perfumes.
“Trump Fragrances are here,” he declared. “They’re called ‘Victory 45-47’ because they’re all-out Winning, Strength and Success – For Men and women.
“Get yourself a bottle, and don’t forget to get one for your loved ones too. Enjoy, have fun and keep winning!”
The perfumes are available for immediate purchase, with prices for the Victory 47 editions set at an eye-catching US$249 (£180) a bottle.
The Victory 47 men’s edition comes in a bottle designed as a golden Trump statue, whose fragrance is described as blending “rich, masculine notes with a refined, lasting finish.”
The women’s version comes in a rose gold statue bottle and promises to capture “confidence, beauty, and unstoppable determination.”
The post provoked a furious backlash on social media, where Trump was assailed for being a grifter and a politician on the make and take.
Karen Salitis fumed: “In front of the whole world this is absolutely EMBARRASSING conduct for the President of the United States. Shilling cologne?!
“The man who holds the nuclear codes, who’s supposedly protecting our national security and should be looking for ways to make life BETTER for Americans, to have a GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE for ALL CITIZENS is trying to make MONEY for HIMSELF shilling cologne?!
“After he took benefits and jobs away from our AWESOME VETERANS, he’s shilling friggin cologne to make a profit for HIMSELF!”
While Jon Wiltshire said: “Trump was supposed to be separating himself from his businesses—but instead, he spent his presidency hawking cheap, tacky junk like a late-night infomercial host.
“Honestly shocked he didn’t do a QVC slot live from the Oval Office. It’s embarrassing. Presidential grift on full display.”
One user with the social media handle BulleRockBoy wrote: “Now you, too, can smell like a dirty diaper.”
In the last twelve months, Forbes magazine estimates that the 47th US President has doubled his fortune from US$2.3 billion to US$5.1 billion.