The viral "Trump Guitars," which became widely mocked on social media, have been slapped with a cease and desist by Gibson after the guitar company accused them of ripping off an exclusive design.
Gibson filed the cease and desist against Trump Guitars' electric guitar "as the design infringes upon Gibson's exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape," the company said in a statement to Guitar World.
While it is unclear if Donald Trump owns Trump Guitars, the president-elect shared a photo of him holding one of the guitars, which features a bald eagle and an American flag, to Truth Social.
"Coming Soon! The Limited Edition '45' Guitar. Only 1,300 of each Acoustic and Electric Guitars MADE — Some personally signed!" Trump said in the post.
Both electric and acoustic guitars were available for sale on the website, both of which had Trump's iconic phrase "Make America Great Again" printed along the neck of the guitar. The guitars also feature the number 45 in reference to Trump's first term as president.
All electric guitars have since sold out. The autographed versions sold for $11,500 while the unsigned versions sold for $1,500.
News of the Trump-themed guitars spread to X, where many users mocked Trump and the product, as reported by OK! Magazine. "Perfect for playing songs that you never paid copyright or licensing fees for!" one user wrote.
Trump's team has previously received legal threats for using artists' music without permission. Beyoncé previously threatened to send his team a cease and desist letter for using her song "Freedom" in a social media video, while Olivia Rodrigo removed the audio of her song "deja vu" after Trump's team used it in a TikTok.
Others commented that the guitar looked "poorly made," while another compared it to a "Chinese-made knockoff" of a Les Paul or Gibson guitar, even before the cease and desist was filed.
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