Latest news with #WinningTeamPublishing
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Trump Made $3.4 Million From Books Made Mostly Of Other People's Work, New Filing Shows
President Donald Trump reported earning $3.4 million from Winning Team Publishing, which has published three books drawing heavily on material not created by Trump—including publicly available photos and private correspondence he owns the rights to—according to a financial disclosure filed Friday. President Donald Trump gifts Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba a copy of his book "Save ... More America" during a joint press conference iat the White House in February. (Photo by) The earnings stem from the books 'Our Journey Together,' published in 2021, 'Letters to Trump,' released in 2023, and 'Save America,' which was published during the final stretch of the 2024 campaign. 'Our Journey Together'—a coffee table book of White House photos, many already public, with captions written by Trump—was published in December 2021. In April 2023, Winning Team published 'Letters to Trump,' a collection of 40 years of correspondence from the likes of Kim Jong Un, Princess Diana and Hillary Clinton, alongside Trump's commentary. Published during the final stretch of the 2024 campaign, 'Save America' features more photos from Trump's presidency—some from wire services and his presidential library—appearing to mark a shift from the mostly free material used in earlier books. Spokespeople for the White House, Trump Organization and Winning Team Publishing did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Donald Trump Jr. and Sergio Gor, who is now Trump's director of the Presidential Personnel Office, founded Winning Team Publishing in 2021. Trump's post-presidency books currently sell for $75 to $99 on Winning Team Publishing's website, with autographed copies now priced at $999—double what they cost before his reelection. He continues to earn income from his business empire while in office through the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, the same structure he used during his first term. Trump is the trust's sole donor and beneficiary, and Donald Trump Jr. serves as its trustee, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. $855,000: That's how much political committees have paid Winning Team Publishing, according to Federal Election Commission records. The Republican National Committee, Turning Point PAC and Trump's own fundraising vehicles are among its biggest customers, often using the books as donor incentives. It's unclear how many copies Trump's books have sold, since most industry tracking services don't capture direct sales from his publisher's website, which appears to be his primary sales channel. 'In short, [Our Journey Together] is a memoir spun from the thin gruel of musty propaganda and cherished grudges,' Washington Post critic Ron Charles wrote. 'Turning these pages is like watching an old man dust his Hummel figurines and whine about the neighbors.' 'We should all buy it,' conservative commentator Brian Darling wrote in his book review of 'Letters to Trump' for The Washington Times. 'To own the libs, and to own a piece of American history. It is a chance to enjoy learning more about the most interesting politician of our lifetimes.' Despite Trump's frequent attacks on the mainstream press, some critics offered mild praise: New York magazine's Margaret Hartmann wrote that his first two post-presidency books 'were less of a cynical cash grab than you might think,' adding they 'offered some genuine value for fans of the 45th president.' Whether Trump will release a fourth book through Winning Team Publishing—potentially drawing on material from his second term—remains an open question. Trump's efforts to profit from his presidency have come under renewed scrutiny, following a $2 billion crypto deal with an Emirati-backed firm and reports of his plans to accept a luxury plane to temporarily serve as Air Force One before it is donated to his presidential library. Beyond Trump's own titles, Winning Team Publishing has released books by several right-wing figures, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Turning Point USA's Charlie Kirk, U.S. Attorney and former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, former Trump adviser Peter Navarro, former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and Donald Trump Jr. Forbes estimates Donald Trump is worth about $TKTKTK billion, with much of his wealth coming from his shares in Trump Media. Further Reading The 3 Easy New Ways Anyone Can Funnel Money Directly To Donald Trump's Businesses (Forbes) Trump Organization Admits President Still Controls His Business In New Filing (Forbes) Trump's Golf Courses Keep Pushing Legal Boundaries With Presidential Seal Markers (Forbes) Trump's Business Hired More Foreign Workers Than Ever In 2024 (Forbes) Trump Store Debuts Merchandise Collection Pegged To Election Victory (Forbes) Trump Hasn't Spent A Dime Of His Own Money On His 2024 Campaign (Forbes) A Trump Political Committee Bought $158,000 Worth Of Books Shortly After Jared Kushner Published His Best-Selling Memoir (Forbes)
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Here's How Much The RNC Is Paying Trump Businesses
The Republican National Committee spent more than $300,000 at businesses tied to Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. in March—including nearly $200,000 at Mar-a-Lago—showing that even as Trump promotes new revenue streams like crypto and Truth Social, his old assets continue generating political cash. President Donald Trump hosts a dinner for Republican Senators at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm ... More Beach, Florida, on Feb. 7. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP) Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Palm Beach club, received three payments totaling $195,000—the largest sum of any Trump business–almost all for venue rental and catering, according to the RNC's latest filing with the Federal Election Commission. Trump National Doral, his Miami resort, took in $85,000 for venue rental and catering. Winning Team Publishing, co-founded by Donald Trump Jr., was paid $35,000 for donor mementos tied to Trump's books. Another $2,200 went to Trump Hotels, described as travel expenses. The White House referred inquiries to the RNC, while spokespeople for the RNC and the Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment. Trump maintains control over and can profit from his businesses while in office through a revocable trust—a structure he also used during his first term—of which he is both the sole donor and sole beneficiary. During his first term, political groups spent $11.8 million at his properties—including $3 million at his since-shuttered Washington, D.C. hotel, $1.8 million at the Miami resort and nearly $500,000 at Mar-a-Lago—according to the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Mar-a-Lago has replaced Trump's D.C. hotel as the epicenter of political spending, Jordan Libowitz, a vice president at the CREW, told Forbes. Trump's supporters had argued that they were patronizing his D.C. hotel because it was luxurious and convenient. After Trump sold it, that spending largely vanished. 'While it's not on the scale of some of his new ventures, including his crypto businesses, it's very much the traditional Donald Trump way of making money,' Libowitz said. 'When it comes to Trump, it's not just about a dollar figure, to a certain extent it's about kissing the ring.' $5.4 million: The amount political committees have spent at Mar-a-Lago since 2016. Before Trump ran for president, Mar-a-Lago had collected just $55,000 in political spending—less than a single month's haul today. The RNC's next campaign finance report, covering April 2025, is due May 20. While Trump profiting from his campaigns and presidencies has been a decade-long story, it's garnered new attention recently as its extent has exploded. Trump's second term has seen three new ways—Trump Media & Technology Group, World Liberty Financial and the $TRUMP meme coin—that allow supporters to buy into Trump-branded ventures with few concrete benefits in return. Trump has made at least $6.75 million from two books published by Winning Team Publishing—both largely using public or borrowed content. Our Journey Together, released in 2021, is a photo book using mostly public-domain White House images. Letters to Trump, published in 2023, compiles decades of correspondence with celebrities and world leaders. Forbes estimates Donald Trump is worth about $5.5 billion, with much of his wealth coming from his shares in Trump Media. RNC Is Paying Trump Family Member Six Figures (Forbes) RNC Paid Trump's Former Bodyguard $585,500 Over Four Years (Forbes) The RNC Is Raising Funds Off Trump's New Social-Media Platform (Forbes) RNC Paid Trump's Personal Attorneys Another $350,000 In March (Forbes) Trump Says He Won't Use Luxury Plane From Qatar After Leaving Office—Here's What We Know (Forbes)
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's birthday letter sent to Kim Jong Un, not to Yoon Suk Yeol
"President Trump's letter wishing President Yoon Suk Yeol a happy birthday has been revealed," reads the Korean-language Facebook post shared on February 28. "Since it was sent after the martial law decree, it definitely contains [Trump's] show of support." The English-language letter, dated December 18, 2025 and emblazoned with the White House logo, is addressed to Yoon and contains a message wishing him a happy birthday. Yoon -- who also faces charges of insurrection -- turned 64 years old on December 18, 2024 -- a year before the letter is dated (archived link). Trump's signature can be seen at the bottom, as well as a large watermark over the document that reads, "Letters to Trump". Supporters of the suspended South Korean president have drawn parallels between him and Trump, using American flags and Trump-esque slogans at rallies to echo Yoon's claims about communist infiltration and electoral fraud (archived links here and here). A lawmaker from Yoon's political party who attended Trump's inauguration have also publicly expressed hope the US president would express his support for the impeached South Korean leader (archived link). Identical claims were shared on pro-Yoon Facebook groups, with comments on the posts suggesting several users believed the letter was genuine. "Wow it really is Trump's signature," one user wrote. "This shows President Trump is ready to help reinstate President Yoon," another said. But the letter was altered from an old birthday message from Trump to North Korea's Kim. A keyword search found Trump's original letter to Kim published in a Politico report on March 9, 2023 about the correspondence between the two throughout the US leader's first term in office (archived link). The original letter, dated January 8, 2019, was included in a book titled "Letters to Trump" published by Winning Team Publishing in 2023 (archived link). A comparison between the altered and authentic letter published by Politico shows the date and recipient lines were changed, but the rest of the message is identical. "Letters to Trump" is a collection of hand-picked private correspondence between Trump and "some of the biggest names in recent history," according to Trump Store, where this book is on sale (archived link). The same letter was also published in a report by British tabloid The Sun with credits to the book (archived link). Trump famously described the letters he exchanged with Kim during his first term as a "love" affair, repeatedly touting them as a sign of the close rapport he shared with the North Korean leader (archived link). The two traded birthday greetings on multiple occasions, including in June 2019 and January 2020 (archived links here and here). There are no official reports about Trump sending birthday messages to Yoon or any other South Korean leaders as of March 4, 2025. AFP previously debunked false claims that Trump and the US military had expressed support for Yoon.
AFP
04-03-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Trump's birthday letter sent to Kim Jong Un, not to Yoon Suk Yeol
"President Trump's letter wishing President Yoon Suk Yeol a happy birthday has been revealed," reads the Korean-language Facebook post shared on February 28. "Since it was sent after the martial law decree, it definitely contains [Trump's] show of support." The English-language letter, dated December 18, 2025 and emblazoned with the White House logo, is addressed to Yoon and contains a message wishing him a happy birthday. Yoon -- who also faces charges of insurrection -- turned 64 years old on December 18, 2024 -- a year before the letter is dated (archived link). Trump's signature can be seen at the bottom, as well as a large watermark over the document that reads, "Letters to Trump". Image Screenshot of the false post shared on Facebook, captured March 3, 2025 Supporters of the suspended South Korean president have drawn parallels between him and Trump, using American flags and Trump-esque slogans at rallies to echo Yoon's claims about communist infiltration and electoral fraud (archived links here and here). A lawmaker from Yoon's political party who attended Trump's inauguration have also publicly expressed hope the US president would express his support for the impeached South Korean leader (archived link). Identical claims were shared on pro-Yoon Facebook groups, with comments on the posts suggesting several users believed the letter was genuine. "Wow it really is Trump's signature," one user wrote. "This shows President Trump is ready to help reinstate President Yoon," another said. But the letter was altered from an old birthday message from Trump to North Korea's Kim. Altered letter A keyword search found Trump's original letter to Kim published in a Politico report on March 9, 2023 about the correspondence between the two throughout the US leader's first term in office (archived link). The original letter, dated January 8, 2019, was included in a book titled "Letters to Trump" published by Winning Team Publishing in 2023 (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison between the altered letter shared on social media (left) and original document published by Politico in March 2023 A comparison between the altered and authentic letter published by Politico shows the date and recipient lines were changed, but the rest of the message is identical. "Letters to Trump" is a collection of hand-picked private correspondence between Trump and "some of the biggest names in recent history," according to Trump Store, where this book is on sale (archived link). The same letter was also published in a report by British tabloid The Sun with credits to the book (archived link). Trump famously described the letters he exchanged with Kim during his first term as a "love" affair, repeatedly touting them as a sign of the close rapport he shared with the North Korean leader (archived link). The two traded birthday greetings on multiple occasions, including in June 2019 and January 2020 (archived links here and here). There are no official reports about Trump sending birthday messages to AFP previously debunked false claims that Trump and the US military had expressed support for Yoon.
