Norms Impact
Furious MAGA Customers Say They Got ‘Scammed’ by Trump Watches
A president’s on-air sales pitch for a licensed luxury product during a federal shutdown erodes the core norm that public power must not be leveraged as a personal profit engine.
Oct 15, 2025
Sources
Summary
Trustpilot reviews for GetTrumpWatches show a majority of one-star ratings alleging delays, non-deliveries, and ignored refund requests for watches priced from $499 to $5,389. A sitting president’s televised promotion of a privately licensed consumer product during a federal shutdown collapses the boundary between public office and personal branding. The practical consequence is a normalized expectation that government crisis can be used as backdrop for monetization, leaving consumers and democratic accountability with fewer protections.
Reality Check
Leveraging the presidency to sell branded consumer goods during a national funding crisis sets a precedent where public authority becomes a commercial asset, weakening our expectation of impartial governance and the protections that come with it. On this record, the more plausible exposure is not a clean criminal charge but a profound breach of anti–self-dealing norms: the licensing disclaimers, opaque “Swiss-made” claims, and disputed refunds highlight how easily official visibility can be converted into private gain without meaningful accountability. If any communications or transactions implicate U.S. mail or interstate wires in a scheme to obtain money through materially misleading claims, the core federal tools would be mail and wire fraud (18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343), alongside state consumer-protection and unfair-practices laws where buyers reside. Even without provable fraud, the conduct normalizes the weaponization of office for personal enrichment—and that erosion lands on our rights by making corruption feel routine and untouchable.
Detail
<p>Customer reviews on Trustpilot for GetTrumpWatches show 57% of 30 ratings at the time of publication were one star, with additional two-star reviews, citing shipping delays, non-arrivals, and refund disputes. The watches are sold by TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC and priced from $499 to $2,999, with a $5,389 “Ultra Mega Collector Set.”</p><p>Complaints include multi-month waits without delivery, reports of unresponsive customer service, and allegations that payments were taken without fulfillment. Some international buyers posted similar complaints. The company’s customer service responded to an inquiry by asserting the negative reviews were “fake” and stating that “tens of thousands” of customers were satisfied, while claiming two complaints had been resolved. The company website hosts only five-star testimonials.</p><p>The licensing disclaimer states the watches are not designed, manufactured, distributed, or sold by Trump, the Trump Organization, or affiliates, though Trump appears in a television commercial for the product. The watches are marketed as “Swiss-made,” while reporting cited corporate records linking TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC to a registered-agent address in Wyoming.</p>