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On Feb. 17, as former President Donald Trump prepared to face 34 felony counts in his hush money trial in New York, he found time to head to Philadelphia to attend Sneaker Con.
And there, standing at the podium, he announced the launch of his new Trump-branded sneakers. Price: $399. The Never Surrender hightop in gold lamé—a limited edition of 1,000 pairs—sold out almost immediately.
Weird? Not really. Having licensed his name for everything from condo towers to mail-order steaks over the years, Trump has long fashioned himself as a commercial brand. He is also a presidential brand, as is current President Joe Biden. (ADWEEK will run an in-depth look at the creation and evolution of both before the first presidential debate on June 27.)
But will last week’s ruling against Trump in federal court hurt his personal brand? Experts say it may do the opposite.
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Ever since Trump’s famous escalator ride into presidential politics nine years ago this month, he has built his brand around the image of an anti-politician who promised to drain Washington’s swamp and give the working man a voice.
But after the four criminal indictments filed last year, “he positioned himself as a victim, and he does a remarkable job of trying to turn his victimhood into a strength,” said Kate deGruyter, communications director for centrist think tank Third Way.
In that context, these most recent guilty verdicts may have strengthened Trump’s brand positioning.
“Trump’s thing the whole time has been, ‘They’re coming after me!’” said social media strategist Shane Barker. “So this [guilty verdict] just plays into a narrative he’s been doing the whole time anyway.”
While Biden seems likely to exploit Trump’s convictions in his reelection campaign, that tactic may do limited good because his brand is so well established with the Republican faithful.
“It will animate the base to an even greater extent, which will serve him in raising money and turnout,” predicted reputation management expert and Fox News commentator Eric Schiffer.
Besides, Schiffer added, Biden’s brand has new baggage of its own. Despite a track record including student debt relief and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, four years in office have also filled the media with images of a president who often looks physically frail—a liability that is now indisputably part of Biden’s brand.
