Since he began his campaign in 2015, President-Elect Donald Trump has drawn scrutiny for his many ties with international developers. In recent days, as his attempts at diplomacy begin, concerns have ramped up: Was his effusive praise of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of Kazakhstan, connected to the murky questions that still hover around the financing of Trump SoHo? Did his call to Taiwan, a break with decades of political tradition, have anything to do with his potential interest in opening a hotel chain there?
It's unclear what, if anything, Trump will do to extricate himself from this web of connections. But if he simply wants his brand to proliferate, he shouldn't worry about staying tied up in them—other people are glad to do that for him.
Exhibit A: "Trump Fish," a seafood spot in Duhok, Kurdistan. According to the Duhok Post, the restaurant is a brand new venture. Photos show a cafe-sized space, covered in photos of fish—along with a logo by David Rappoccio, ripped from an UPROXX post imagining what different NFL mascots would look like if teams rebranded for the new administration. (The fish store's image is from the Trumpified San Diego Chargers.)
It's official! New restaurant in #Duhok@realDonaldTrumppic.twitter.com/q9hPFSFT1C
— Duhok Post (@Duhokpost) December 5, 2016
Questions about Trump Fish remain: Is Fish Delight on the menu? Are there pufferfish in the tanks? How long before they get sued by the President of the United States? In this brave new world, anything can happen.
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