Trump Org Applies For Sweeping Trademark Covering Items From Crypto Wallet To Virtual Cologne

Published 2 days ago• 5 minute read

The Trump Organization appears to be laying the groundwork to expand its digital empire even further, filing a wide-ranging trademark application that hints at possible plans for everything from a Trump-branded crypto wallet to virtual cologne.

A cutout of President Donald Trump holding a bitcoin is displayed on a group of servers during The ... More Bitcoin Conference at The Venetian in Las Vegas on May 27. (Photo by Ian Maule / AFP) (Photo by IAN MAULE/AFP via Getty Images)

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On Feb. 24, DTTM Operations, an LLC fully owned by President Donald Trump through his revocable trust and with a Trump Tower address, applied to trademark “Trump” for possible use across dozens of crypto and tech-related products with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

One category of goods and services was “electrical and scientific apparatus,” including “downloadable computer software for managing cryptocurrency transactions using blockchain technology,” NFTs, virtual reality games with crypto tokens, VR headsets and tools for creating “virtual footwear.”

Trump’s team also outlined plans for a virtual store selling virtual goods like cologne, candy and spirits, along with digital ad services and online marketplaces.

The application included possible uses of the trademark in education and entertainment services, like virtual civics training, “virtual museum services” and even “simulated transport by limousine.”

The trademark also would cover computer and and scientific services which it says includes software platforms for VR-based worlds “in which users can exchange digital goods and crypto currencies using only those images, texts, videos and sound files authorized by the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America and authenticated by non-fungible tokens.”

Spokespeople for the Trump Organization and two of Trump’s crypto ventures—Trump Media & Technology Group and the $TRUMP meme coin—did not respond to inquiries, while a spokesperson for Trump’s decentralized financial platform, World Liberty Financial, declined to comment.

It’s unclear which—if any—of the dozens of products mentioned actually will launch.

The Trump Organization’s plans to market a crypto wallet became a contentious issue Tuesday after independent journalist Molly White reported that TrumpWallet.com was inviting users to sign up for a waitlist for a $TRUMP crypto wallet. The site uses branding from Trump’s official meme coin and said it was “powered by Magic Eden,” a well-known NFT marketplace. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump disavowed the project, saying it was not connected to the Trump Organization. World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance platform the family controls, however, plans to release its own wallet, Trump Jr. tweeted. Separately, Trump Media, which owns Truth Social, is also exploring offering a digital wallet. World Liberty Financial, Trump Media and the $TRUMP meme coin are not named in the Feb. 24 trademark application.

“Stay tuned—World Liberty Financial @worldlibertyfi, which we have been working tirelessly on, will be launching our official wallet soon,” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted Tuesday.

Despite the Trumps’ objections, TrumpWallet.com remains online, continuing to call itself “The Official $TRUMP Wallet by President Trump” and accept sign-ups for a waitlist.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office typically takes about a year to register a trademark, according to its website. Trump’s application was assigned to an examiner in April. A wallet (or any other product) launch, however, could happen much sooner—trademark approval isn’t required to bring an item to market. Watch app stores and Trump-affiliated social media for updates.

A crypto wallet is a digital tool that stores digital assets like cryptocurrencies, meme coins and NFTs. There are three main types. Custodial wallets are managed by third parties—similar to a brokerage account. Hot wallets are internet-connected apps that let users control their assets directly. Cold wallets are offline devices designed for maximum security, often compared to digital safes.

In general, crypto wallets can generate revenue for their creators through transaction fees, subscriptions, ads, lending deposits to institutional borrowers, charging upfront to use the wallet, selling additional services and selling user data. A $TRUMP-branded wallet could further boost Trump’s personal holdings by driving more interest and trading activity in the $TRUMP meme coin, White told Forbes.

Since leaving office in 2021, Trump has expanded his empire into the digital realm, where the products are often intangible, but the revenue streams are real. Truth Social and crypto, in fact, helped Trump double his net worth in a year, with his crypto holdings alone worth about $1 billion, according to Forbes’ estimates. Trump maintains control over and can profit from his businesses while in office through a revocable trust, of which he is both the sole donor and sole beneficiary. The Trump Organization confirmed in an April filing in Britain that Trump retains control over his businesses.

“I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air,” Trump tweeted in 2019. “Unregulated Crypto Assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity.”

While the trademark application refers to content “authorized by the 45th and 47th President of the United States,” Trump’s attorney said in a January 2017 press conference that “he instructed us to take all steps realistically possible to make it clear that he is not exploiting the office of the presidency for his personal benefit.”

The Trumps’ other crypto ventures include bitcoin mining, bitcoin-backed ETFs and NFTs, underscoring how aggressively the family has pushed into digital finance.

39—that’s how many related trademarks Trump already holds, according to the February filing.

Forbes estimates Donald Trump’s net worth at about $5.5 billion, with much of his wealth coming from his shares in Trump Media.