Trump's Troubles

apparently a red sole shoe is a patented trademark and these would violate that patent which has been vigorously defended by the designer that owns it

Louboutin Red Sole Controversy: Trump’s “Never Surrender High-Tops” May Spark Legal Battle | Trendy Digests

The fashion community is abuzz with the possibility of legal action as Louboutin has a history of rigorously defending its trademark. As most fashion and trademark law followers would know, Louboutin has been offering footwear with specific red-hued soles since 1992 and has engaged in numerous trademark lawsuits globally to protect this distinctive feature. The central question arises over whether Trump’s sneakers, which bear red rubber soles rather than the red lacquered ones that are a Louboutin hallmark, may indeed infringe upon the luxury brand’s trademark.

Political commentator Maria Cardona did not shy away from weighing in on the potential legal implications of the design choice, tweeting, “Who knew fab shoe designer @LouboutinWorld would be roped into politics! But he needs to defend his trademark red sole from fraudster Trump as DT hustles supporters w gold $400 shoes w a red sole! How ironic that it could trigger another lawsuit he can’t afford!”

The distinctive red soles of Trump’s sneakers, while markedly different from Louboutin’s high-fashion offerings, could potentially prompt consumer confusion, leading to a trademark infringement case. Moreover, beyond infringement, there’s the prospect of Louboutin claiming trademark dilution—arguing that Trump’s use of the red sole could diminish the mark’s reputation, especially considering Louboutin’s red sole has been deemed famous by courts in various jurisdictions.

While speculation over potential legal skirmishes swirls, the Trump sneaker saga adds a layer of complexity. In the fine print on the Trump Sneakers website, a disclaimer suggests the product received by customers may not exactly match the advertised images, possibly giving Trump an out to sidestep trademark issues. Yet, whether or not customers will actually receive sneakers with the contentious red soles when deliveries begin in July remains to be seen.

 

Donald Trump Hands Jack Smith a Potential Gift (msn.com)

Donald Trump's claim that he "didn't have to" hand over classified documents that were being sought under federal subpoena has been leaped upon as proof he is admitting wrongdoing. In a Fox News town hall with Laura Ingraham, Trump was asked why he didn't save himself "a lot of trouble" by returning the sensitive and top secret materials the government had asked for, instead of retaining them at his Mar-a-Lago—resulting in the FBI search at his Florida home in August 2022.

In response to Ingraham's question, Trump claimed that he did not need to hand over the documents that the federal government had subpoenaed, and also suggested they were safe at his Mar-a-Lago resort, unlike the sensitive materials discovered at President Joe Biden's Delaware home.

"First of all, I didn't have to hand them over. But second of all I would have done that, we were talking, and then all of a sudden they raided Mar-a-Lago," Trump said.

"They said could you put an extra lock on the door, we showed them where they were, unlike being under a Corvette and a little garage with the door open all the time. We were surrounded all the time by many secret service agents, we had secret service all over Mar-a-Lago, you couldn't take anything out."

 

wonder if anyone will listen to him. Steele finally had the stones to speak the truth

Trump's latest plan for the GOP is 'going to end in an implosion': Former RNC chair (msn.com)

Donald Trump's plan to place his daughter-in-law in a leadership position in the Republican National Committee will put the entire party on the road to disaster claimed former RNC chair Michael Steele. With the former president endorsing the selection of Lara Trump as RNC co-chair, Steele believes that she will do irreparable harm to the other GOP candidates the RNC should be developing and promoting.

"Since 2015, Trump’s rise has (predictably) led to a diminished Republican Party – financially, electorally, and in fidelity to conservative values," he argued before reminding the leadership that Trump has been the author of a string of GOP defeats including losing control of the Senate and the White House. Added to that, he wrote, the party's fundraising is disastrously bad and what money is coming in is going to pay the former president's massive legal bills.

"The RNC wrapped up 2023 with its lowest fundraising totals in a decade. Now, with Trump loyalists poised to take the helm, concerns are growing about how whatever money the party is able to raise will be used," he wrote. "The party paid out hundreds of thousands in Trump’s legal bills in 2021. So, the fact that Lara Trumprecently suggested Republican voters actually want the committee to bail Trump out for the millions in legal fees he currently owes is concerning to both donors and activists."

Knowing Trump's history, he added this should not catch anyone by surprise. "For nearly a decade, we’ve seen the chaos, the division, the grifters and the conspiracy theories Trump ushered in consume the Republican Party. And now it appears this once-great party wants more of the same," he wrote and then dryly added, "So much for winning."

 

An RNC member is trying to stop the party from paying Donald Trump's legal bills (msn.com)

At least one member of the Republican National Committee is working to slow Donald Trump's attempted takeover of the organization by pushing to keep the committee neutral until Trump is officially the presidential nominee and avoid picking up his legal bills.

Two draft resolutions are being circulated by Henry Barbour, a national committeeman from Mississippi, for consideration at the RNC's upcoming March meeting in Houston. Barbour said support for the resolutions among RNC members is growing but he does not yet have the needed cosponsors, and any resolutions would ultimately be nonbinding.
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One of Barbour's proposed resolutions says that the RNC and its leadership will stay neutral throughout the presidential primary and not take on additional staff from any of the active campaigns until a candidate has the needed delegates to be the nominee.

The second resolution says the organization will not pay the legal bills of any candidate for federal or state office but will instead focus its spending on efforts directly related to the 2024 election. “The RNC has one job. That’s winning elections,” Barbour said. “I believe RNC funds should be spent solely on winning elections, on political expenses, not legal bills.”

 

USSC delay seems to indicate that they are not going to accept the immunity case. I would bet big money this is CT dragging out the dissent opinion to continue to slow things down.

Supreme Court 'Dissent' Over Immunity Claim Is Bad News for Trump (newsweek.com)

Writing on her Civil Discourse legal blog on Sunday, Joyce Vance said that the Supreme Court is taking a long time to decide whether to take the case, a sign that it is about to refuse Trump's petition. That's because the delay is likely caused by a dissenting opinion that is in favor of Trump's request to hear the case. Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign for comment via email on Monday.
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"We're still waiting on [the Supreme Court] on the presidential immunity appeal. If, as seems likely, one or more Justices are writing dissents to a decision by the Court to deny the stay or decline to take the case, we won't hear from the Court until they are done writing," Vance added.

"It seems less likely a Justice objecting to a decision by the Court to hear the case would take so long to write a dissent, since their goal would in part be to avoid further delay," Vance wrote.
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"Zero chance that the Supreme Court will rule in Trump's favor on the merits of his immunity claim, but a substantial chance that it will go along with his attempt to drag this out long enough to escape trial until after this November's election," Tribe said.