Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on June 13 to dozens of federal felony counts related to keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and refusing government demands to return them.
Ahead of Trump’s arraignment, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) claimed in a viral video shared on Twitter that the White House Gift Shop is selling a commemorative coin marking Trump’s indictment. Cassidy called the sale of the coin “totally outrageous.”
It’s unclear whether Cassidy believes the gift shop is affiliated with the White House, but posts online linked the sale of the coin to President Joe Biden’s administration.
THE QUESTION
Is the White House selling a coin commemorating Donald Trump’s indictment?
THE SOURCES
- The White House Gift Shop website
- White House Gift Shop LinkedIn and Facebook pages
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records
THE ANSWER
No, the White House is not selling a coin commemorating Trump’s indictment. The “White House Gift Shop” is a private business that’s unaffiliated with the White House in Washington, D.C.
WHAT WE FOUND
A private business called the White House Gift Shop is selling two coins for $100 each that mark Trump’s April indictment in New York and the recent federal indictment. That business is not affiliated with the White House in Washington, D.C.
“No government funds or resources, direct or indirect, are ever used in the operation of the White House Gift Shop,” the White House Gift Shop says on its LinkedIn and Facebook pages.
VERIFY found U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records that show the “White House Gift Shop” is trademarked by Gianni Strategic Enterprises, a company based in Pennsylvania. An FAQs page on the gift shop’s website also lists an address in Rochester Hills, Michigan, for people looking to return their orders.
There are shops near the White House where visitors can buy souvenirs, such as the White House Visitor Center at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue, but none are run by the federal government.
The White House Gift Shop claims it used to be associated with the White House when it was first founded in the 1940s, but VERIFY could not confirm the authenticity of that claim. However, we can VERIFY it is not affiliated with the White House now and is not located in or near the actual White House.
This is not the first time commemorative coins have caused confusion.
In 2020, VERIFY fact-checked false claims that Trump’s White House was selling “Donald J. Trump defeats COVID” commemorative coins. The private White House Gift Shop also sold those coins.
Spokespersons for the White House and the White House Gift Shop did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter, text alerts and our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Learn More »
