And the Grift Goes On...

Viper1j said:

Can anyone make it stop?

BREAKING: Trump Guitars Owner Gets Cease and Desist for Scammy Guitars

Gibson Guitars isn't playing around.

www.meidasplus.com

BREAKING: Trump Guitars Owner Gets Cease and Desist for Scammy Guitars​

It looks like another grift of Donald Trump's may be ending before it even starts. Today, Gibson Guitars sent a cease and desist letter to the owner of Trump Guitars, 16 Creative. While Donald Trump does not own Trump Guitars, he has publicly called on his supporters to purchase the guitars and the company dubs the guitars to be the only Trump-endorsed guitars on the internet.

Trump gets a percentage of the sales on each of these products that he endorses. He has done this for decades. In his deposition in the NY fraud case, he testified that he is able to charge three times more for his name to be attached to products since becoming president. So getting elected president has been very lucrative for him since the left the White House since his "brand" is worth so much more to companies like 16 Creatives.

16 Creatives received the letter which alleged that the company has violated Gibson's trademarks because the 16 creatives design "infringes upon Gibson’s exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape.”

The Trump Guitar is one of several grifts that Donald Trump has been involved in during and after winning the November election. According to the initial launch, there was a small selection of the Les Paul-style electric guitars for sale, including several signed editions. The guitars are now being sold for prices upwards of $10,000.

Previously, Trump posted a picture of himself with the guitar on Truth Social endorsing the grift and encouraged his supporters to buy the guitar.

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It looks like the grift may be coming to a swift end, however. The cease and desist letter received today tracks a number of other legal troubles Trump had on the campaign trail with musicians suing his campaign or threatening to sue over the unauthorized use of their music.

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Greenman said:

Trump certainly knew that the shape of the guitar was a Gibson knockoff. Who could look at that and not know?

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IronWing said:

Given Trump's history of being a thief, stealing a design isn't something that would even register with him. "Did I make money? It must have been a good thing" is the depth of intellectual curiosity Trump engages.

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mikeymikec said:

plus (AFAIK) his standard court tactics of hoping to bore/starve his opponent away from legal action.

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hal2kilo said:

Yet he thinks our justice system is broken and bad. Seems he has used it consistently to his advantage.

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The teacher also said Johnson "believes it is churlish of us not to regard him as an exception".

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nakedfrog said:

I didn't expect this topic to get a whole thread to itself

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Greenman said:

Trump certainly knew that the shape of the guitar was a Gibson knockoff. Who could look at that and not know?

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A top aide to Donald Trump has been accused of asking Cabinet hopefulsfor $100,000 in exchange for promotions.

Boris Epshteyn, a long-time adviser to Mr Trump, is alleged to have requested payments in exchange for supporting candidates for high-level roles or connecting industry figures to the new administration.

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Mr Trump reportedly asked his lawyers to conduct a review into the claims against Mr Epshteyn, which concluded that his proximity to the president-elect should be “terminated”. The 42-year-old denies the allegations.

Among the figures he is said to have approached is Scott Bessent, who was named as the new Treasury Secretary last week despite apparently declining his services.

Sources told CNN that Mr Epshteyn had requested as much as $100,000 in exchange for his backing.

Mr Epshteyn has been a senior adviser to Mr Trump since his 2016 campaign, was involved in crafting the Republican’s legal defence to his four criminal indictments, and has recently emerged as an influential figure in the transition team.

Heated exchange between Bessent​

He is said to have asked Mr Bessent in February for $30-40,000 a month to “promote” him around Mar-a-Lago, the president-elect’s Florida resort and power base.

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Two sources told CNN that Mr Epshteyn and Mr Bessent had a heated exchange in the lobby of Mar-a-Lago last week, which was said to have been started by the Trump adviser.

A defence contractor claimed that Mr Ephsteyn asked him for $100,000 a month following Mr Trump’s election victory this month, claiming he was “do or die” for the individual’s prospects.
They did not take him up on the offer and The New York Times reports he is fearful of retaliation.

Epshteyn a ‘Trump original’​

Allegations concerning Epshteyn were reportedly brought to Susie Wiles, the incoming White House chief of staff.

Mr Epshteyn was brought into the campaign’s circle by Eric Trump, the president-elect’s son, with whom he studied at Georgetown University.

Mr Trump told Fox News on Monday that his former classmate was a “good human being” but added: “I certainly hope the reporting is false and I can also tell you if it’s true, you know, the person will probably no longer be around.”

However, an official in the transition team said Mr Epshteyn was a “Trump original” who always stuck around despite “these petty skirmishes”.

Mr Epshteyn was reported to have clashed with Elon Musk, the Tesla billionaire and a new figure in Mr Trump’s circle, this month, with the pair having a stand-up row at Mar-a-Lago.

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Mr Musk is said to have criticised Mr Ephsteyn’s influence over top appointments. It has previously been reported that the Trump adviser had pushed for the appointment of Matt Gaetz as attorney general, who last week removed his name from contention.

In a statement issued through the transition team, Mr Epshteyn said the claims were “false and defamatory and will not distract us from making America great again”.

Steven Cheung told CNN: “As is standard practice, a broad review of the campaign’s consulting agreements has been conducted and completed, including as to Boris, among others.

“We are now moving ahead together as a team to help president Trump Make America Great Again.”

The Telegraph has independently approached the Trump transition team and Mr Epshteyn, via his private equity firm, for comment.

The Telegraph has approached Mr Bessent for comment via his investment management company, Key Square Capital.

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brycejones said:

Surely we need a trial to determine that.


If not can you please let us know the rules for determining when a trial is necessary and when we are allowed to draw our conclusions from available evidence?

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Greenman said:

Trump certainly knew that the shape of the guitar was a Gibson knockoff. Who could look at that and not know?

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