Donald Trump was laying the groundwork to expand his real estate business into Mexico at the same time he was vowing to tax American companies that do business there, according to a trademark application unearthed by a watchdog group.
Trump International filed the application for a “Trump Tower” trademark in Mexico on Sept. 9, right in the middle of his re-election bid, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Brand Database.
Throughout his campaign, Trump vowed to impose massive tariffs on Mexican products in an attempt to force American factories to return to the U.S. After his victory in November, he announced a 25-percent tax on all products coming from Mexico.
In the meantime, Trump was outsourcing jobs at his social media company Truth Social to Mexico. He was also apparently making plans to build a hotel there as evidenced by the trademark application, which covers the phrase “Trump Tower” in connection with real estate and financial matters
The application, which is pending, was first discovered by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. As the watchdog group pointed out, the trademark request could give the Mexican government leverage when it comes to tariffs and trade negotiations.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Trump’s transition team for comment.
More than 20 years ago, Trump announced plans to build an oceanfront resort in Baja, only to abandon the project and end up in litigation with angry investors before eventually reaching a confidential settlement.
Over the past few years, Trump International has reached agreements to expand into Oman, the UAE and—just this past week—Saudi Arabia. All of which raises the question of whether international policy negotiations are being undertaken in the interests of the American people or of Trump International.
