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Trump waited until after he left office to disclose trademarks he owns in
China and Russia
Jacob Shamsian
Nov 3, 2023, 12:38 PM EDT
Donald Trump Trump tower elevator
Donald Trump in an elevator of Trump Tower. DOMINICK REUTER/AFP via Getty
Images

Donald Trump disclosed that he owns hundreds of foreign trademarks in
his ethics filings this year.
He didn't disclose any in the same forms while he was president.
Trump owns 114 trademarks in China � more than any other country by
far, including the US.

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Donald Trump's financial disclosures neglected to include hundreds of
trademarks he owns � including over 100 in China and six in Russia �
until after he left the office of the presidency.

The hundreds of trademarks include the rights for business opportunities
expected for someone with Trump's business record, like real estate,
golf, beauty pageant, and hotel branding in dozens of countries.

The list also includes more unexpected business opportunities for the
former president, like video games, lash extensions, deodorant, and
nautical instruments.

Trump's complete list of trademarks was first disclosed in a document
known as OGE Form 278e, which the US Office of Governmental Ethics
requires for US presidents and vice presidents and candidates for
president and vice president.
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Until this year, the former US president's ethics forms didn't disclose
his trademarks in foreign countries, which can provide him revenue and
are issued and can be revoked by foreign governments. He didn't disclose
them at all while in office, and he first disclosed the long list in July
of this year and amended it in August.

The belated disclosures mean that Americans had little insight into the
scope of Trump's foreign asset holdings during his presidency, and are
only learning about them as he runs for a second term in the 2024
election.

The list of countries where the former president owns trademarks includes
China, Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, Belarus, and other countries heavily
sanctioned by the United States, as Forbes previously reported.
Trump Atlanta airport
Former President Donald Trump steps off his plane as he arrives at
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The final form Trump submitted during his presidency, dated January 15,
2021, disclosed Trump's financial interests in numerous overseas
companies. The only indication of trademark holdings noted is his
ownership of a company called "CHINA TRADEMARK LLC." That filing noted
the company is "dormant/inactive."
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In his following OGE Form 278e form, filed on April 2023, as a
presidential candidate, Trump disclosed a long list of foreign
trademarks. The April form was made public in July. It notes, without
explanation, that he received two extensions totaling 90 days to submit
the document.

The updated August version lists numerous corporate entities that were
dissolved in December 2022, including an LLC called "Trump Marks
Menswear" and another called "Trump Drinks Israel."

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The 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner � who frequently complains
China is "ripping us off" and has falsely claimed President Joe Biden
received more than $1 billion from the country � disclosed more
trademarks in China than in any other country by far.

In his latest disclosure, he said he has 114 trademarks in the country.
The runner-up is the United States, with 57 (including three for "Make
America Great Again"), followed by the United Kingdom, with 26.
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An Insider review of the two forms shows the August update includes
several more previously undisclosed trademarks, and no longer includes
others that were first noted in the April disclosure.

One trademark Trump held in Ukraine is no longer included in the August
financial disclosure. The April form said the trademark was related to
real estate development, gambling, and video games. Trump still maintains
two other trademarks in the country, related to hotel and real estate
management.

Trademarks for menswear lines initially disclosed in El Salvador, Mexico,
and Venezuela were also removed in the August disclosure form.

In France, a trademark for furniture and "crest design" was also removed.
And in Saudi Arabia, trademarks for a home cooking line are absent in the
latest disclosure.
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Among his trademarks in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, the newest
form no longer includes registrations for perfumery and deodorant
products.

Newly disclosed in the Trump trademarks, however, is one in Albania,
related to advertising, construction, and entertainment.
We don't know how much money Trump made with the foreign trademarks

The disclosures do not include information about how the trademarks are
used in each country and what revenue Trump may receive from them. It's
not clear why Trump waited so long to disclose the trademarks and why he
asked for extensions to file his disclosures.

Representatives for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign didn't respond to
Insider's request for comment.
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Richard Painter, the White House's chief ethics lawyer during part of the
George W. Bush administration, told Insider that the forms may not even
capture all of the trademarks Trump owns. Even more, he said, may be
owned by LLCs, the assets of which don't need to be disclosed in detail.

The forms also don't expound upon how much money each trademark generates
for Trump and where the funds are coming from.

"You only disclose that you own these different entities," Painter said.
"You don't have to disclose who's put money into these entities."
Donald Trump
Donald Trump in the White House. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Some of Trump's trademarks have been the subject of previous reporting.
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According to The New York Times, he first obtained a trademark for Trump
Tower in Russia in 1996 and obtained additional trademarks for Trump-
branded hotels and other opportunities in 2006 and 2007. Trump sought
renewals for those trademarks while he was a candidate during the 2016
election and received some of them on election day, the Times reported.

In China, Trump had 77 trademarks registered before he became president,
the Associated Press reported, many of which were renewed during his
four-year term. Also during his presidency, China granted several new
trademarks linked to corporate entities owned by Trump and more than a
dozen more to his daughter Ivanka Trump, according to the Associated
Press.

Trump's assets in other countries raise the possibility that he could
violate the emoluments clause of the US Constitution, which is designed
to limit foreign influence on federal officers.

(Painter was part of a lawsuit against Trump over the clause by the
ethics watchdog organization CREW, which was dismissed on jurisdictional
grounds.)
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Without more insight into his holdings, Painter said, it's impossible to
know if Trump used a trade war with China as a chip in a fight over his
personal business interests or dictated foreign policy in the Middle East
to sweeten a deal between his golf courses and Saudi Arabia's investments
in the sport.

"If a foreign government is sending money to Donald Trump to put his name
on a hotel from a corporation controlled by, say, the Saudi Sovereign
Wealth Fund, that's a violation of the emoluments clause," Painter said.

Trump's disclosures as a 2024 presidential candidate include his assets
since November 2021, a year before he officially announced he was running
for a second term.

That leaves a dark period between January and November of that year,
where his holdings are unknown.

On Mon, 19 Aug 2024 14:30:02 -0000 (UTC), The Constitutional Sheriff <gim3@gmail.com>
wrote:

>
>The 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner — who frequently complains
>China is "ripping us off" and has falsely claimed President Joe Biden
>received more than $1 billion from the country — disclosed more
>trademarks in China than in any other country by far.
>
>In his latest disclosure, he said he has 114 trademarks in the country.
>The runner-up is the United States, with 57 (including three for "Make
>America Great Again"), followed by the United Kingdom, with 26.
>Advertisement

This is the man who's supposed to keep us safe from foreign aggression?

This is the man who's famous for trash talking China?

#NEVERtrump

In article <c228cj9e96qs0qu84fr411jn287t8cr2ai@4ax.com>,
governor.swill@gmail.com says...
>
> On Mon, 19 Aug 2024 14:30:02 -0000 (UTC), The Constitutional Sheriff <gim3@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >The 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner ? who frequently complains
> >China is "ripping us off" and has falsely claimed President Joe Biden
> >received more than $1 billion from the country ? disclosed more
> >trademarks in China than in any other country by far.
> >
> >In his latest disclosure, he said he has 114 trademarks in the country.
> >The runner-up is the United States, with 57 (including three for "Make
> >America Great Again"), followed by the United Kingdom, with 26.
> >Advertisement
>
> This is the man who's supposed to keep us safe from foreign aggression?
>
> This is the man who's famous for trash talking China?
>
> #NEVERtrump

Shit around the world is happening that wasn't happening when he was in
office. 1000s of pro Hamas outside and Joe said they were good people.