2,044 events on record Subscribe September 10, 2026
Standing Record home The Standing Record A non-partisan record of US democratic norms —
and the events that erode them.

Coast Guard Exchange stores sold Trump-branded wine and cider tax-free on federal property

Coast Guard Exchange retail stores at U.S. Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in Centreville, Virginia, stocked and sold wine and cider produced by President Trump's Trump Winery and American Cider Co. tax-free to service members and their families, Forbes reported on November 7, 2025. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed and defended the arrangement, while government watchdog CREW called it an "optics and ethics issue."

Jurisdiction
Federal
Location
Washington, D.C. and Centreville, Virginia

Abuses documented

Actors

Forbes reported on November 7, 2025, that Coast Guard Exchange retail stores — at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in Centreville, Virginia — stocked and sold wine and cider branded with President Trump's name, tax-free, to service members and their families. The products come from the president's Trump Winery and American Cider Co. operations, held through his Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, with son Eric Trump serving as business president. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the arrangement, stating that "the brave men and women of the USCG are pleased to be able to buy Trump wine and cider tax free."

Reporting found no evidence of a specific presidential directive ordering the sales, and the Trump Organization did not respond to Forbes's request for comment on how the products came to be stocked or the scope and duration of the arrangement; a store clerk told a reporter the products had sold out with no restocking planned. Government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) characterized the episode as an "optics and ethics issue," noting it creates the appearance of a sitting president's personal commercial products receiving preferential retail access through a federal armed service's exchange system.

Updates

2025-12-09 — CREW filed FOIA request with the Coast Guard [3]

CREW requested records from the U.S. Coast Guard on the procurement and sale of Trump-branded wine and cider at Coast Guard Exchange stores, including communications with Trump family businesses involved in producing and distributing the products.

2026-02-03 — CREW asked DHS and State Department inspectors general to investigate emoluments violations [4]

CREW filed complaints with the DHS and State Department Offices of Inspector General arguing that any profit Trump earned from the Coast Guard Exchange wine and cider sales would violate the Constitution's Domestic Emoluments Clause.

Why we recorded this

Public service over self-dealing requires that officials not use government channels to advance their personal commercial interests. Coast Guard Exchange stores on federal property sold wine and cider produced by President Trump's own Trump Winery and American Cider Co., tax-free, to service members, with a DHS official publicly confirming the arrangement. Distributing a sitting president's personal branded products through a federal armed-service retail system blurs the line between official government operations and the president's private financial gain, eroding the norm that public institutions serve the public rather than the officeholder's business interests.

Sources

  1. Trump Wines Sold At Coast Guard Stores On Federal Property — Forbes primary accessed July 9, 2026
  2. 'Optics and ethics' concerns raised after Trump sells his wine at DC area military stores — The Mirror secondary accessed July 9, 2026
  3. CREW requests records on selling Trump Wine and Cider at Coast Guard Exchanges — Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) primary accessed July 11, 2026
  4. CREW requests IG investigations into possible emoluments violations at DHS and State Department — Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) primary accessed July 11, 2026

See also