Mary Trump, former president Donald Trump’s estranged niece, raised several concerns about her uncle’s latest collectible merchandise, limited-edition watches.
In a blog post Friday titled “The Non-Fungible Grift,” Mary Trump, a vocal critic of the GOP presidential nominee, called his newly launched watch line “grifting his followers.” Previously, he has sold limited-edition collectible Bibles and sneakers.
Trump announced his newest merchandise on Truth Social on Thursday, with watches that start at $499 and go up to $100,000, depending on the style. “The Official Trump Watch Collection is here, and these Watches are truly special—You’re going to love them. Would make a great Christmas Gift. Don’t wait, they will go fast,” he wrote in the social media post.
In her post criticizing the watches, Mary Trump cited the terms and conditions on the watches’ website, first noting, “The images shown are for illustration purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the product.”
Mary Trump discussing her book “Who Could Ever Love You: A Family Memoir” at The 92nd Street Y on Thursday, September 12, 2024, in New York City.
Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
She also pointed out that the watches are not yet available but are listed for pre-order, noting that they will start shipping in “October/November/December 2024. Shipping and delivery dates are estimates only and cannot be guaranteed. We are not liable for any delays in shipment.” Mary Trump emphasized, “And, they repeat, they cannot guarantee when an order will arrive.”
As a third concern, she noted that the applicable warranty doesn’t cover the “Case, crystal, strap and buckle or bracelet, stem or crown- Damage resulting from improper handling, lack of care, accidents, or normal wear and tear.” The website notes that the two-year warranty on the Trump Victory Tourbillon Collection Watch covers the “watch movement, hands, and dial,” and a similar one-year warranty exists for the Trump “Fight Fight Fight” Collection Watch.
The bottom of the website notes, “Trump Watches are intended as collectible items for individual enjoyment only, not for investment purposes.” Mary Trump acknowledged this in her fourth concern, writing, “From what I can gather from those who have reviewed the watches’ specs, this suggests that the Tourbillon in particular isn’t worth anywhere near what it’s being sold for.”
Her comments come the day after renowned online menswear expert Derek Guy heavily criticized the watches, calling them a “crappy” product. On X, formerly Twitter, he called the product a disingenuous “halo product,” inflated in value by Donald Trump‘s name rather than by its quality.
Donald Trump claims the watches are high quality, going as far as to describe the Tourbillon model as “one of the best watches made.” In his promotion video, which Mary Trump called “slimy,” the former president says, “It has almost 200 grams of gold and more than 100 real diamonds. That’s a lot of diamonds. I love gold. I love diamonds. We all do.”
Mary Trump concluded her concerns by writing, “There are much, much worse things about Donald Trump than his shameless hucksterism, but leveraging the presidency in this way is truly grotesque.”
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign team for comment via email on Friday evening.
Mary Trump has been outspoken against the Republican politician for years, and in 2020, she published Too Much and Never Enough, a tell-all book about Donald Trump and his family. In it, she says he is “utterly incapable of leading this country and it’s dangerous to allow him to do so.”
After its release, Donald Trump called the book “disgraceful.” He told former Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace that “she was not exactly a family favorite,” adding, “We didn’t have a lot of respect or like for her.”
