During the LIV Golf tournament at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf course, former president Donald Trump was seen utilizing the presidential seal on a number of items, the Washington Post reported on Friday.
The former president took part in the pro-am of the Saudi-sponsored tournament on Thursday, when the seal was affixed on towels, golf carts, and other objects, according to the report.
While breaking the federal law regulating the use of the presidential seal can result in "not more than six months" in jail, a fine, or both, these penalties are reportedly rarely applied.
Notably, this is not the first time that Trump has been reported to have used the seal on a number of items at his properties.
According to the report, in an Instagram image from earlier this year, the emblem was seen on a sign at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Trump Organization reportedly bought golf course markers with the symbol on them, the US media reported a few years back. Trump's Bedminster golf club was alleged to have made money last year by a Washington, DC, watchdog organization by utilizing images of the presidential seal.
"Unlawful use of the presidential seal for commercial purposes is no trivial matter, especially when it involves a former president who is actively challenging the legitimacy of the current president," Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) said in a 2021 complaint.
Apart from getting panned over the presidential seal, Trump is also reportedly facing criticism for allowing his New Jersey club to hold an event sponsored by the wealthy new PGA Tour challenger LIV Golf, which is associated with Saudi Arabia.
Trump, however, dismissed the complaints by telling the Wall Street Journal that LIV has been "a great thing" for the image of Saudi Arabia.
"I think LIV has been a great thing for Saudi Arabia, for the image of Saudi Arabia,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be an incredible investment from that standpoint, and that’s more valuable than lots of other things because you can’t buy that—even with billions of dollars."
The presidential seal's history dates back to at least the mid-19th century and shares a similar design to the Great Seal of the United States. President Dwight D. Eisenhower implemented the current design in 1960, which slightly changed the final design approved by President Truman in 1945, adding stars to the inner circle to honor the new states of Hawaii and Alaska.