Trump company files trademarks for branded metaverse, NFT marketplace

Trump-owned company DTTM Operations filed for trademarks on Feb. 24 for the word ‘TRUMP’ in connection with a metaverse and NFT marketplace built around the US President’s brand.

In this Trump-themed virtual world, users would be able to shop for physical and virtual goods, dine in a Trump restaurant, enjoy simulated transport by limousine, aircraft, train, and automobile, and watch public service programs about social issues, current events, and fundraising.

Notably, the Trump metaverse would also feature virtual training services, personal coaching services, and guided tours of hotels and public and government buildings. There is also an NFT marketplace planned, although there is a caveat that only content permitted by the President would be allowed. The filing states:

“Hosting software platforms for virtual reality-based virtual worlds in which users can exchange digital goods and crypto currencies using only those images, texts, videos and sound files authorized by the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America and authenticated by non-fungible tokens (NFTs).”

According to Trademark Attorney Josh Gerben, the filing was submitted on an “intent to use” basis, which signals future commercial activity under the brand.

The hype surrounding the metaverse has been waning since 2021, the year that Mark Zuckerberg changed the parent company of Facebook to Meta. A look at Google Trends, which analyzes interest based on how many times a term has been searched, shows that the term “metaverse” saw a peak between Oct. 24-30, 2021 and has tailed off since.

*Interest in the search term “metaverse” between 2020 and 2025. Source:* *Google Trends*

NFTs, too, have not reclaimed the highs they saw since the bull run of 2021-2022, with many floor prices and even top collections continuing to see depressed prices.

Trump’s crypto ventures, detailed

President Trump and his family are known for their ventures into crypto and related technologies. After the President launched a series of non-fungible token collections in between his presidencies, he pivoted to courting the crypto vote. At a Bitcoin Conference in Nashville in July 2024, he promised to make America the crypto capital of the planet and to fire Gary Gensler on Day 1 in office.

On Jan. 17, 2025, three days before taking office, Trump launched his official memecoin, sending the crypto community into a frenzy. The First Lady, Melania Trump, would later launch her own memecoin.

Other members of the Trump family have gotten involved in crypto as well. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., pledging to “make finance great again,” were part of a group that formed World Liberty Financial, an upstart decentralized finance platform.

While Donald Trump is still seen as the US’s first “Crypto President,” he has come under some criticism as of late, first for pivoting from a strategic Bitcoin reserve to a “digital asset stockpile” and then for the general market upheaval due to looming trade wars and economic uncertainty.

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