Is there such a thing as bad publicity?

Donald Trump’s campaign appears to be a test case in whether this old adage is true or not. His business interests are intricately linked to the Trump brand, which has been taking a hit as a result of his more extreme statements and proposals on the campaign trail.

At least in terms of political support, his comments have appeared only to improve his numbers. He’s dominated the polls since July, and repeated predictions that the latest remark would send his numbers tanking have all been wrong.

But how long can Trump continue to alienate and disparage various groups without harming his own brand and broader business deals?

‘Not sending their best’

It all started with Trump’s announcement speech in June when he declared:

When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best… They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

As his campaign has gone on, Trump has continued to deliver controversial statements regarding Muslims, immigrants and women.

Based on my many years of working with a wide variety of companies and other organizations, it is clear to me that the values of brands and reputations are closely linked to success. Trump is an American brand, and, if his current campaign rhetoric continues, there could be significant damage to his business.

The fallout so far

So far, the fallout has arguably been minimal. His comments, however, are beginning to prove costly, and the damage may become significant.

We’ve heard reports from Reuters and other sources that billboards with his name and image have been taken down in Dubai as a result of his anti-Muslim comments, although some signage has returned as business partners go to great lengths to distinguish Trump’s business dealings from his political comments.

The U.K.’s Independent newspaper reported that the Landmark Group announced that its Lifestyle stores throughout the Middle East would stop selling Trump home décor merchandise.

In Europe, the impact has so far been to his house personal reputation. The U.K. Parliament this week spent an hour discussing whether to ban the mogul from entering the country after a petition asking that he be barred entry because of “hate speech” over Muslims received half a million signatures – well over the 100,000 necessary to require the issue be debated.

In addition, the first secretary of Scotland stripped Trump of his status as an ambassador of business, and Robert Gordon University in Scotland rescinded his honorary degree.

But the impact has also been felt in the U.S. Macy’s in June stopped carrying Trump-branded merchandise; NBC and Univision announced they would not air Trump’s Miss USA Pageant; and NASCAR decided not to hold its end-of-season awards banquet at a Trump resort.

And back in Trump’s hometown, Bill DeBlasio, the mayor of New York City, said that he would go out of his way to avoid future business deals with Trump – after he found he could not legally cancel current contracts.

Waiting out the storm

As for Trump’s partners and other associations affiliated with Trump, most of them are taking the “no comment” route when asked about the presidential candidate, preferring to wait out the storm.

After all, if he doesn’t succeed, will anyone really remember all of this in a few years? Think about how Sarah Palin’s comments during her run for vice president, while admittedly mild compared with Trump’s, are now a distant memory – and this week, she endorsed Trump for president. On the other hand, if Trump does succeed, keeping those business ties may prove valuable.

The biggest risk for Trump is that more people and groups (that don’t support him) will choose not to book his hotels, lease/buy his condos, play on his golf courses or vacation at his resorts. There’s talk of boycotts, but so far the effects are difficult to measure.

Some stars boycotted Trump’s Toronto Hotel during last fall’s Toronto International Film Festival. Jay Sorensen, the president of the travel consultancy IdeaWorks, has vowed to boycott Trump properties and is asking for colleagues to do the same.

But how many more anti-Latino or anti-Muslim comments will consumers tolerate before calls for boycotts take on momentum?

It’s hard to predict how this will play out – and a lot of it depends on whether Trump’s rhetoric continues – but it is likely that all of the negative publicity he generates will start to have a greater impact on his business.

What the research shows

We’ve seen it happen before with other public figures closely associated with a brand.

Remember when celebrity chef Paula Deen was in the news for making a racist comment? As noted in the Huffington Post, her business suffered and it doesn’t seem like she’s quite back on track.

The BAV Consulting division of the advertising and marketing firm Young & Rubicam found that consumers who could afford to play golf at one of Trump’s clubs, stay at his hotels or buy a condo in one of his developments have lost confidence in the Trump brand since he began his presidential campaign.

Clearly his image has suffered, similar to what we have witnessed with Volkswagen or other corporate scandals. The difference with the Trump brand is that it is his personality that is being measured.

Trump’s advantage

In Trump’s favor is the complex nature of his real estate deals and the way he licenses his brand. It’s one thing not to buy a Trump lamp at a department store, but another to avoid purchasing a condo based on an individual.

Also in his favor is the long-term nature of many of his business deals. If those deals are legally locked up for a certain number of years (like the NYC contracts), it’s unlikely that his statements will have much of a business effect. However, if the deals can be severed, other organizations may follow the lead of NBC, Macy’s, Univision, NYC and the Landmark Group.

It will be interesting to see if Trump starts reining in his comments, or if his rhetoric continues to alienate people. If the latter happens, he’ll eventually hit a tipping point – and the risk to his business may not seem so minimal anymore.

Trump Signs Order Expediting Drugs for Mental Health Treatment

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday that he said “directs the FDA to expedite their review of certain psychedelics already designated as breakthrough therapy drugs.” A primary objective of the order is to speed treatment for veterans.

“The executive order I’m signing, we’re actually signing the executive order today, is really a moment,” Trump said. “These treatments are currently in the advanced stages of clinical trials to ensure that they’re both safe and effective for the American patients.”

The president said the executive order would implement “historic reforms to dramatically accelerate access to new medical research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs.” Citing the elevated veteran suicide rate, the president added: “In many cases, these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our cherished veterans.”

“And the nice part is we’re actually doing this early, but it has been going on. Research has been going on for quite some time. But, you know, usually with things like this, nothing ever happens, no matter how the research ends up, but we’re changing that. This order will clear away unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, improve data sharing among the FDA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and facilitate fast rescheduling of any psychedelic drugs that become FDA approved,” Trump continued.

The president said “in 2024, a study from Stanford University, 30 special operation veterans with traumatic brain injuries underwent — it’s called ibogaine treatment — ibogaine, remember the name,” noting that they “experienced an 80 to 90% reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety within one month.”

“In Texas, Republican leaders have already committed $50 million to the ibogaine research. And today, the federal government is making a $50 million research investment in its own. And so that was just approved just last night,” Trump announced.

“We’re also opening a pathway for ibogaine to be administered to desperately ill patients under the right to try law,” Trump said.

“Today’s order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms might finally have a chance to reclaim their lives and lead a happier life, just lead a happier life,” he added.

Two weeks ago, Trump signed a sweeping executive order aimed at tightening federal oversight of election integrity, directing multiple agencies to expand voter eligibility verification and impose new controls on mail-in ballots.

The order, titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” outlines a series of measures that would increase coordination between federal agencies and state election officials, while also establishing new procedures for how ballots are distributed and tracked through the mail system.

At the core of the directive is a requirement that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), working with the Social Security Administration (SSA), compile and transmit lists of individuals confirmed to be U.S. citizens to state election authorities. These “State Citizenship Lists” would be generated using federal databases, including immigration and Social Security records, and updated regularly ahead of federal elections.

According to the order, the lists are intended to help states verify voter eligibility, though inclusion on the list would not automatically register an individual to vote. State laws and procedures would still govern registration requirements.

The order also calls for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prioritize investigations and potential prosecutions related to election law violations. This includes cases involving the distribution of ballots to individuals deemed ineligible to vote, as well as any actors—public or private—who may be involved in producing or sending such ballots.

In a significant expansion of federal involvement in mail voting procedures, the directive instructs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to develop new rules governing the handling of mail-in and absentee ballots. Within 60 days, the Postmaster General is required to initiate a rulemaking process that would standardize ballot tracking and verification measures nationwide.

Under the proposed framework, all mail-in ballots would be required to use specially marked envelopes designated as official election mail. These envelopes must include unique tracking barcodes and meet specific design standards set by USPS to ensure compatibility with automated processing systems.

Trump Says He’s in No Hurry to Make Deal With Iran

The president gave an update on negotiations between Washington and Tehran in a weekend interview.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 26, 2026 in Washington. This is Trump's second Cabinet meeting of 2026 and the first since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on Feb. 28, 2026. Chip Somodevilla/Getty U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview published on May 30, said that he is in no hurry to make a deal with Iran to end the war, saying that neither Washington nor Tehran has signed an agreement yet.

“I’d like to say I’m in a hurry because gasoline prices are going to come tumbling down, but if you’re going to be in a hurry, you’re not going to make a good deal,” Trump told Fox News. “And slowly but surely we’re getting, I think, what we want, and if we don’t get what we want, we’re going to end it a different way.”

For weeks, the United States and Iran have been working to come to an agreement that would end the war, which started in February, as the conflict remains in a ceasefire. On May 29, Trump released the terms of a deal with Tehran and said he would be making a final decision soon.

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Along with demanding that Iran not obtain a nuclear weapon, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the Strait of Hormuz must be opened “in both directions” and that Tehran must “complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines that are left.”

Since the start of the conflict, the strait has effectively remained shut down, sending oil and gas prices surging, as the strait allows for the transit of about a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas. As of May 31, gas prices in the United States averaged $4.34 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association.

A White House official told The Epoch Times on May 29 that a White House meeting in the Situation Room on Iran lasted approximately two hours. No details were provided.

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Iran on May 31 claimed that the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down a U.S. military drone that entered its airspace, in comments carried by state-run Tasnim News. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has not publicly commented on the incident.

A top Iranian official, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also said on May 31 that Tehran’s military force is “pushing back the enemy in a great and history-making war,” referring to the United States, according to state-run media. He also claimed that the United States has retreated from the conflict while pushing a narrative of unity in the Iranian regime.

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In his May 29 post on Truth Social, Trump also wrote that mines would be removed from the strait and that ships trapped there may start to go home.

“Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite ‌President!” he said.

On May 30, War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States would restart attacks against Iran if no deal can be reached and that the military’s ammunition stockpiles are being replenished.

“Our ability to recommence if necessary ... we are more than capable,” Hegseth told reporters in Singapore. “Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, so we’re in a very good place.”

The Pentagon head said that Trump was “patient” and that the president wants to make a “great deal” that ensures that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

Reuters contributed to this report.