Trump's Latest Cash Grab Hits The Wrong Note With An Iconic Brand

President-elect Donald Trump is no stranger to lending his name to half-baked business ideas, scams, and grifts, and the latest has landed him in hot water with one of music's most iconic brands. Guitar-maker Gibson is hitting 16 Creative, the owner of the Trump-endorsed Trump Guitars, with a cease-and-desist letter. They contend that the limited edition American Eagle guitar's "design infringes upon Gibson's exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape," (via Guitar World). The guitars are being touted as "the only guitar officially endorsed by President Donald J. Trump." 

On November 20, 2024, the former "Apprentice" host shared a picture of him holding a guitar — brandished with a bald eagle, the American flag, and his slogan "Make America Great Again" — to Truth Social, advertising and endorsing the limited edition American Eagle guitar series in the process. As of this writing, only the acoustic guitars remain in stock at Get Trump Guitars, for $1,250 each, while an autographed acoustic guitar is $10,250. There are also pre-orders for their Presidential series of guitars, with "Donald J. Trump" written across the neck, which share a similar design to Gibson's Les Pauls.

Of course, this isn't the first time that the president-elect has been mired in controversy relating to his forays into the music world. Many musicians have spoken out against the use of their songs at Donald Trump's events, and some even turned to legal action to get him to stop playing their stuff. During his 2024 presidential campaign alone, the controversial politician was faced with cease-and-desist orders from the Village People, Céline Dion, Sinéad O'Connor's estate, and ABBA, to name just a few. Trump has also been sued or threatened with lawsuits due to his music choices. 

The White Stripes sued him and an aide for using their hit "Seven Nation Army" in a social media video. The lawsuit stated that The White Stripes "vehemently oppose the policies adopted and actions taken by [Trump] when he was president and those he has proposed for the second term he seeks," (via The Hill). Front-man Jack White was even more to the point, posting on Instagram, "Don't even think about using my music you fascists. [...] And as long as I'm here, a double f**k you DonOLD for insulting our nation's veterans at Arlington you scum."

Elsewhere, Trump was also sued by Isaac Hayes Jr.'s estate for using one of the late singer's songs on the campaign trail. "I want this to serve as an opportunity for other artists to come forward that don't want their music used by Donald Trump or other political entities and continue to fight for music artists' rights and copyright," his son, Isaac Hayes III, said at the time (via CBS News).