Trump Company Seeks Trademarks for Branded Metaverse and NFT Marketplace

DTTM Operations, a company owned by Trump, submitted trademark applications on Feb. 24 for the word ‘TRUMP’ in association with a metaverse and NFT marketplace centered around the US President’s brand.

The virtual world based on Trump’s brand would allow users to shop for physical and virtual goods, dine in a Trump restaurant, experience simulated transportation by limousine, aircraft, train, and automobile, and watch public service programming on social issues, current events, and fundraising.

Additionally, the Trump metaverse would provide virtual training services, personal coaching, and guided tours of hotels and public/government buildings. The planned NFT marketplace would only permit content approved by the President, as stated in the filing:

“Hosting software platforms for virtual reality-based worlds where users can exchange digital goods and cryptocurrencies using only authorized images, texts, videos, and sound files by the 45th and 47th President of the USA, verified by non-fungible tokens (NFTs).”

Trademark Attorney Josh Gerben noted that the application was filed on an “intent to use” basis, indicating future commercial activities under the brand.

Interest in the metaverse has been declining since 2021, the year Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook to Meta. Google Trends data shows a peak in searches for “metaverse” between Oct. 24-30, 2021, with decreasing interest since then.

Source: Google Trends

NFTs have also not returned to their previous highs post the 2021-2022 bull run, with many collections seeing depressed prices.

Related: Beginner’s guide to metaverse in blockchain

Details of Trump’s crypto ventures

President Trump and his family have ventured into crypto and related technologies. Following a series of NFT collections between presidencies, Trump shifted focus to attracting the crypto vote. During a Bitcoin Conference in Nashville in July 2024, he pledged to elevate America as the crypto capital and remove Gary Gensler on his first day in office.

Just before taking office on Jan. 17, 2025, Trump launched his official memecoin, stirring excitement in the crypto community. Later, First Lady Melania Trump introduced her own memecoin.

Other family members, like Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., joined a group to establish World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance platform focused on revitalizing finance.

Despite being hailed as the first “Crypto President,” Trump has faced criticism for shifting his stance from a strategic Bitcoin reserve to a digital asset stockpile and causing market turmoil due to looming trade wars and financial uncertainties.

Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions