The Wild Story Behind How Donald Trump Trademarked the Slogan 'Make America Great Again'

Donald Trump, the former president, claimed he came up with the winning slogan 'Make America Great Again' in 2012, just after Republican nominee Mitt Romney lost to President Obama on November 7 and the Republicans were experiencing an identity crisis. According to The Washington Post, Trump alleged that he first thought of 'We Will Make America Great' but it lacked the right context. Then he came up with 'Make America Great' but that too didn't do justice, and then, it hit: 'Make America Great Again.' “I said, ‘That is so good.’ I wrote it down,” Trump recalled in an interview. “I went to my lawyers. I have a lot of lawyers in-house. We have many lawyers. I have got guys that handle this stuff. I said, ‘See if you can have this registered and trademarked.’ ” 

After a span of five days, Trump submitted an application with a registration fee of $325 to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office requesting the exclusive right to utilize the slogan for the purpose of "political action committee services, which included raising money for political causes and public awareness." “I felt that jobs were hurting,” Trump explained on why he chose the term.

“I looked at the many types of illness our country had, and whether it’s at the border, whether it’s security, whether it’s law and order or lack of law and order. Then, of course, you get to trade, and I said to myself, ‘What would be good?’ I was sitting at my desk, where I am right now, and I said, ‘Make America Great Again.’ ” 

However, the catchy slogan wasn't original; Trump claimed that he was unaware that George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan had both used the slogan 'Let's Make America Great Again' in their 1980 campaigns. “But he didn’t trademark it,” Trump said. His choice to assert legal ownership was consistent with the mindset of a businessman. "I believe I have a good understanding of marketing," Trump declared.

On July 14, 2015, the trademark went into force, one month after Trump made his official campaign announcement and satisfied the legal need that he was indeed utilizing it for the objectives listed in his application. According to The Daily Mail, Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin used the phrase at the South Carolina Freedom Summit, "This is the time when we can look back and tell future generations [that] we were there, we heeded the call, we did what was required to make America great again," he said. "Let's go forward and make America great again!" A disappointed Trump commented later from backstage, "I've actually trademarked it." 

After securing the trademark, Trump took strong measures to defend his slogan. When Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin started inserting the phrase into their own speeches, they were immediately served with a cease-and-desist letter from Trump's legal team. “I didn’t know it was going to catch on like it did. It’s been amazing,” Trump said. 

This article originally appeared 4 months ago.