News/Commentary

Trump announces official ‘seal of approval’ to combat ‘scammers’ but it quickly goes sideways

August 20, 2023 | | Print Article

The Trump campaign introduced a new “seal of approval” as a countermeasure to “scammers” who raise money off of the unauthorized use of the former president’s name and to identify candidates who he supports.

On Friday, Team Trump debuted the “Official Team Trump” golden seal featuring a likeness of the embattled 2024 Republican frontrunner to be used to distinguish authorized uses of his name and to protect donors and supporters from scams and “illegitimate organizations falsely claiming some affiliation with President Trump and his campaign.”

According to a statement from Trump’s campaign, “President Trump’s endorsement power is the most powerful force in American politics. His influence is election defining. When President Trump posts an endorsement on Truth Social, or a candidate onstage before tens of thousands of voters, America First patriots rally behind President Trump’s choice and deliver a decisive victory.”

“Unfortunately, some candidates, PACs and their fundraising vendors have drained millions of dollars from President Trump’s donors by falsely claiming that they support President Trump, that the President supports them, and that funds received in response to the solicitations will support, help, or defend President Trump,” the statement reads.

“To fight this scam, President Trump’s endorsement will now include the right to use his name and likeness in fundraising solicitations and other campaign communications, as signified by this Seal. The Seal will be a powerful signal to President Trump’s loyal donors that the sender is on Team Trump, and is not a scammer,” Team Trump states.

Trump’s campaign had previously warned groups against the use of his name and likeness. A March 2023 letter obtained by Politico said that the former president “may not endorse candidates who used firms that were fundraising off of Trump without his consent.”

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Twitter/X users had a lot of fun with the new “seal of approval” which has been used by supporters of his political adversaries like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to mock Trump’s awful personnel choices.

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“Candidates and committees authorized to use the Seal shall be permitted, and indeed encouraged, to use the Seal in connection with their activities on social media, in paid advertising, and on merchandise,” Team Trump states. “This Seal is revocable, non-exclusive license, and the digital art file containing the Seal is non-transferable. Any entity that mimics or unlawfully uses the Seal without explicit approval from a representative of President Trump’s campaign may face legal action.”

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Chris Donaldson
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