U.S. President Donald Trump, according to American media, is increasingly extending his personal brand into the public sphere. For decades his surname has been associated with hotels, golf clubs, real estate and consumer goods, but as The Washington Post and The Daily Beast note, during his second presidential term this practice has noticeably spread into the realm of state institutions. The Washington Post has compiled a list of federal facilities and items on which the Trump administration has placed his name or image: the list includes federal buildings, official documents, elements of state symbolism and even passes to National Parks.
A commemorative coin bearing the president's face
One of the most prominent examples is a one-dollar commemorative coin issued to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States. The obverse features Trump himself, and the coin is sold in sets of 25 and 100. Formally, this item is part of the American monetary system, even though it was issued as a commemorative piece. Its appearance has already become part of a broader debate over how far the president goes in promoting his own name using state resources. Critics emphasize that certain decisions to rename or rebrand state institutions are controversial as a manifestation of the personalization of public institutions.
Hot dogs at the state's expense
Against this backdrop, the story told by The Daily Beast is particularly telling. According to the outlet, when Trump plays golf at his own Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, he regularly orders hot dogs for the Secret Service agents guarding him. Instead of treating his security detail at his own expense, the president reportedly instructs the club to bill the Secret Service itself. Thus, an ordinary snack for the presidential security detail turns into a state-budget expenditure on the territory of a billionaire's private business.
Contradictory data
Here it is important to distinguish between confirmed and alleged facts. The information about billing the Secret Service for hot dogs is based on a publication by The Daily Beast and is presented in the form of 'according to / reportedly,' meaning it is not independently verified documentation. At the same time, the outlet cites a large figure: over the first ten months of the previous year, state expenditures related to Trump's trips to his private golf clubs amounted to approximately $71 million. This figure relies on a single source and may differ from other estimates, so when citing it, it should be accompanied by a caveat about the origin of the data.
Renamings and a new image
In parallel, the media are documenting other steps that critics view as the personalization of public space. Recently, Trump unveiled a new uniform for the U.S. Space Force, inspired by the film 'Starship Troopers,' in which observers detected a style they describe as technofascist. The U.S. leader also changed the shade of his dyed hair, which is explained by a desire to make it look visually thicker. The most scandalous move, according to reports, was the renaming of Lake Ontario, which is shared by the United States and Canada, to Lake America — in Ottawa this decision has already been met with critical commentary.
