A MAGA devotee got an unexpected surprise after buying a gift for his wife: a watch missing the “T” in Trump.
“The ‘T’ is missing. It just says ‘R-U-M-P.’ It says Rump,” Melanie Petit told NBC 6 about a $640 watch she received as a present from her husband, leaving her so disappointed that she was brought to tears.
“An apology would be nice for making my wife cry,” Tim Petit said.
The watch—a limited-edition pink model called the Inauguration First Lady—first caught Tim’s attention when he saw a Newsmax advertisement featuring President Donald Trump, 79, who said the watch could be worn “proudly on your wrist” and that “everyone will know exactly what its for who its for and who it represents.”
Yet a “Rump” watch may leave some people questioning whether it represents the president.
“I’m very disappointed. I wanted it to be a special thing for her, and we had expected that it would have the integrity of the president of the United States,” Tim, who lives in Providence, Rhode Island, told NBC 6.
Though the Trump watches are not “designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals,” according to the website that sells them, the Trump name is used under a licensing agreement, and the president himself promoted them as a “great gift” in a commercial.
According to Trustpilot, the Trump watches—priced at up to $899—have an average rating of 2.2 out of 5 stars. Reviews cite issues including malfunctioning watches, parts falling off, and products not matching online descriptions. Customers also frequently report fulfillment problems such as long delays, missing deliveries, or receiving incorrect items.
“I think that someone needs to be aware of it in their licensing department that someone’s dropped the ball big time,” Tim Petit said.
The watch blunder comes as the Trump Organization faces criticism over its long-delayed gold Trump Mobile phone, which is priced at $500.
Patrick Holland, managing editor of tech site CNET, who received the phone and spoke to CNN, said it was not made in America as promised, “looks nothing like the original image,” and also gets the number of stripes on the American flag wrong.
“If you did order this phone, it doesn’t matter what your political persuasion is; you shouldn’t be ripped off,” Holland said, referring to the approximately 600,000 people who paid a $100 deposit for the phone when it was released in June last year but haven’t received it until now.
The president has licensed his name—with the “T” included—for many products, including sneakers, casinos, hotels, tea, and Bibles.
The Daily Beast has contacted the distributor of Trump-branded watches for comment.
