Companies connected to first daughter Ivanka Trump and her father President Trump have been granted 18 trademarks by the Chinese government in the last two months, according to reports.







Ivanka Trump reportedly filed for the trademark applications when her company, Ivanka Trump Marks LLC, was still operating, but they were granted three months after she said she was dissolving it. The applications were for products like shoes, jewelry, handbags, and sunglasses. Several were also for more unusual items like sausage casings and even voting machines, according to the Washington Post.

DTTM Operations LLC received two of the trademarks for a Trump-related hotel, restaurant and bar, and clothing. DTTM is located in Trump Tower in New York City. According to the website Justia Trademarks, DTTM is associated with trademarks like Trump Home and Trump Park.

Applications for all the Trump-related trademarks were submitted in 2016.

Legally protecting trademarks in China could signal an intention to conduct business there and therefore posing possible conflicts of interest between business and government. Ivanka Trump continues to work as an advisor to President Trump.

Before assuming office, President Trump handed over his business operations to his sons.

Some have expressed the concern that because President Trump and his daughter have valuable trademarks in China, they might be used as political leverage by the Chinese government.

“Ivanka receives preliminary approval for these new Chinese trademarks while her father continues to wage a trade war with China. Since she has retained her foreign trademarks, the public will continue to have to ask whether President Trump has made foreign policy decisions in the interest of his and his family’s businesses,” wrote Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington.

Caroline Zhang of CREW was the first to report the updated filings.

President Trump has been engaged in a heated trade battle with China since near the start of his administration.