President-elect Donald Trump used a photo of himself and first lady Jill Biden in Paris on social media on Sunday to sell his new line of fragrances.
France’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral officially reopened its doors in Paris on Saturday evening in a global event that brought in several world leaders, royals, and business tycoons, marking the revival of the 861-year-old landmark five years after a devastating fire.
The visit marked Trump’s fifth trip to France, following four visits during his first presidency, including D-Day anniversary ceremonies in 2019—the same year the Notre Dame caught fire.
While President Joe Biden did not attend the reopening due to scheduling conflicts, the first lady represented the administration on his behalf as she was pictured sitting close to Trump and her daughter Ashley Biden during the ceremony.
On Sunday, Trump took to his Truth Social account to share the picture of himself and Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony to promote his line of fragrances by turning the picture into a meme, captioning it: “A Fragrance Your Enemies Can’t Resist.”
“Here are my new Trump Perfumes & Colognes! I call them Fight, Fight, Fight, because they represent us WINNING. Great Christmas gifts for the family. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!” the president-elect wrote.
According to the website, there are four fragrance products with two cologne products for men and two perfume products for women and are being sold for nearly $200 each. However, both the “Victory Perfume” and “Victory Cologne” which feature specialized bottles are sold out as of Sunday evening.
Newsweek has reached out to Trump via email for comment on Sunday evening.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Notre-Dame de Paris/Getty Images
This is not the first time Trump has used photos of himself to sell various items as he notably used his mugshot photo when he was booked in Georgia on racketeering charges to launch a mugshot-inspired line on his campaign site that includes T-shirts, mugs and stickers.
Trump and over a dozen of his allies were indicted in August 2023 for conspiring to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election to Biden in the state. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has since asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to dismiss the case against him now that he has won a second term.
Trump has since continued this approach in his 2024 presidential campaign, selling a wide range of items.
These included collectible digital trading cards featuring him as a superhero, $399 gold high-top sneakers, $100 “MAGADonalds” T-shirts, and even $60 “God Save America” Bibles, which reportedly netted him $300,000 overall. In September, “TRUMP Watches” were launched, with Trump asking his supporters to spend at least $499 to join “President Trump’s Watch Community.”
However, the increase in merchandise has also brought criticism as Mary Trump, the president-elect’s estranged niece, accused her uncle last month of “grifting” during the holiday season as she condemned his use of selling merchandise that is affiliated with himself.
In a YouTube video posted on November 27 titled, “Griftsgiving: Trump’s Holiday Scams Exposed – The Family Business,” Mary Trump, a vocal critic of her uncle, discussed these products as she accused the president-elect of “grifting” during the holiday season.
“Gather around the table because it is that time of the year again. Yes, the vegan turkey is roasting, the pumpkin pie is cooling, and of course I’m getting my massive bowl of mashed potatoes ready because Donald and his cronies are back at it with their favorite family tradition grifting,” Mary Trump said. “Let’s get into the side hustle that they are starting to call the ‘parallel economy.’ For those unfamiliar the parallel economy is a MAGA marketplace where conservatives pedal products to their followers promising freedom for a price.”
Speaking of the many Trump-branded products that are out there for sale, Mary Trump said “there is literally no bottom to the grift for this kind of junk.”
Her remarks come as many of these items including the Trump sneakers and Trump-branded watches were participating in Black Friday sales, according to their official websites.
While it is unclear how much Trump makes from all the products and business ventures as some are collaborations with other brands, last year, it was reported that Trump made between $100,000 and $1 million for a series of digital trading cards, which he re-released this year for $99 apiece as a new “America First Collection.”
