An advert featuring Donald Trump flogging his own-brand watches for upwards of $500 (£370) apiece – at a time when Americans are struggling to get by – has prompted incredulity and anger.
The advert, which aired on Trump’s favoured Fox News, features the President telling viewers: “Hello everyone. It’s President Donald J Trump and it’s Trump time.”
It then zooms in on a watch from Trump’s “Fight Fight Fight” collection. “It’s one of my new watches,” Trump said. “Wear it proudly on your wrist, and everyone will know exactly what it’s for, who it’s for, who it represents. It’s really gonna be something special. It’s for your favourite President.”
Adverts for Trump’s watches have been running on some US channels since he launched the collection in 2024. But the Fox broadcast prompted anger and accusations of grafting, with some questioning how a US President can be allowed to take advantage of his office so blatantly.
The Call to Activism X account asked: “If this isn’t tone-deaf grifting during tough times, what is?”
It added: “Jimmy Carter sold his beloved peanut farm to avoid even the APPEARANCE of a conflict of interest – and Trump gets to slap his name all over s**tty Temu jewelry? This should be illegal.”
This is absolutely nuts.400 days after promising to fix skyrocketing inflation, Trump appears on ads on Fox News flashing a "red beauty" watch and begging his poor fans to buy the $499 "fight fight fight" watch.If this isn't tone-deaf grifting during tough times, what is? pic.twitter.com/k9VxfR0m5d
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) February 24, 2026The most expensive watch on the site – apparently already sold out – is the Trump Victory Tourbillon, which goes for $100,000 (£74,028) and is advertised as being made almost entirely of 18-carat gold and decorated with 122 diamonds.
“No president has grifted like this before,” said Mark Shanahan, an associate professor of political engagement at the University of Surrey. “He is using the presidency as a means to fill an already bulging wallet.”
Shanahan added: “The rules of the presidency say the President should not make any money while in office other than his presidential salary. But he has continued to make money by any and every form. These watches are just a tiny element of it.”
The $100,000 Gold Tourbillon watch (Photo: Trump Watches)Selling branded watches is only one of the many money-making schemes Trump has put in place since he launched his campaign for the presidency in 2024. Other items for sale include “Trump was right about everything!” hats and “Make America Great Again” tote bags, as well as teddy bears, belts, trainers and even Bibles emblazoned with his name.
The Office for Government Ethics reported last June that Trump had made $10m (£7.4m) in the previous year from merchandise alone, with $2.8m (£2.1m) coming from watches. Only part of that time he was President.
However, even that was a fraction of his earnings from other income streams, including investments and cryptocurrency. The latter has netted him an estimated $1.4bn (£1.02bn). Trump’s watch website says that shoppers can purchase items using cryptocurrency.
“In a normal presidency, [Trump] would be challenged by Congress, but because he has so much control over Congress, he has just pushed and pushed, and seen what he can get away with,” said Shanahan. “There hasn’t been any pushback, so he has continued to go for it.”
The $499 ‘red beauty’ watch from Trump’s Fight Fight Fight collection, which according to his website is a bestseller (Photo: Trump Watches)Yet the watch advert’s appearance on Fox News comes at a time when Trump is struggling to reassert himself after a damaging few weeks, with his party and US voters showing increasing signs of discontent.
The President has suffered a series of blows and ongoing difficulties in recent months.
His hardline immigration policy resulted in the deaths of two US citizens in Minnesota, prompting furious backlash and forcing the retreat of immigration agents from the city. Meanwhile, his resistance to releasing the entirety of the Epstein files has fractured his own party and base, many of whom are calling for full disclosure.
Consumer confidence is near record lows and the gap between the wealthy and low-income Americans has increased in the past year. Polls consistently find Trump losing ground with voters: 56 per cent of Americans disapprove of his job performance, while his overall net approval rating stands at -17.
Trump previously launched a watch collection at Macy’s Herald Square in New York in 2005 (Photo: Desiree Navarro/FilmMagic)The optics of a billionaire trying to profit off Americans after cutting taxes for the wealthiest and piling on tariffs – which are ultimately paid by the consumer – are only deepening the damage Trump is doing to his prospects.
Meanwhile, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom accused Trump of “unprecedented grift”, accusing him of “wrecking this economy” through his tariffs and tax cuts for billionaires. “This is a self-dealing operation – it is unprecedented grift happening in real time.”
Shanahan said that while Trump sees “no wrong in his own personal enrichment, more average Americans are beginning to.”
“He doesn’t seem to understanding affability or the cost of living. He has grown up insulated from these issues. He seems to think the stock market success, which has been very high – is a sign of the US economy is doing well, but it’s not.”
While the Supreme Court ruled his tariffs illegal last week, in a major blow to the Trump administration, it has since brought in a global 15 per cent tariff.
If Trump’s popularity keeps sinking, he knows he risks losing in the crucial upcoming midterms.
Already, the elections are expected to deal a blow to Republicans. If the Democrats win back the House or Senate, they may have the power to impeach the President and launch investigations into his wider administration.
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