The Trump presidency is not a matter of Democrat or Republican. It’s not about liberal or conservative, or even big government or small government. The sole goal of the Trump presidency is to make money. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at the most recent scandal surrounding the White House.
According to ProPublica, Trump has commissioned a company to begin production of tee markers that bear the presidential seal for Trump golf courses. Federal law states that the presidential seal may only be used for official government affairs, and that improper use of the seal is punishable by up to six months in prison.
Former presidents have used the seal in different ways before. Barack Obama and George W. Bush both had specially made golf balls that bore the seal, and Ronald Reagan even had a set of china with the seal on it. What makes Trump’s situation different, however, is that the tee markers are being produced by a private company, according to a report from Richard Painter and the New York Post.
So let’s review: a private, for-profit company, one that continues to profit for the President’s benefit despite his position, is trying to further profit from the use of a symbol that is representative of the most powerful civil servant in the world.
The Trump family has already profited greatly from President Trump’s position, and those gains are all well-documented. This time, the violation of federal law would be a striking representation of just how profit-hungry Trump is, and that he is egomaniacal enough to turn the most respected position in this country into more of a reality-show-like fodder to fulfill his need for attention.
Again and again, Trump has shown that he is more than happy to blur the already fine lines between his position as President and the Trump empire. He continuously slaps his name on hotels and clubs in exchange for hefty fees, not to mention the price hike in Mar-a-Lago’s membership fees and annual dues once he took office.
With this deal, the presidential seal may now be down in the dirt, literally. A fitting show of disregard for an important civic symbol by a man whose family crest is fake. Whether or not this attempt to place the presidential seal on a commercial product is a federal offense, it is very on-brand for Trump.