The Wild Story Behind Trump's Short-Lived Steak Brand

Before he became president, Donald Trump was synonymous with opulence and over-the-top branding. Known as a real estate mogul and reality TV personality, he built a reputation not just on his properties but on a wide range of business ventures. From Trump Vodka to Trump University, and even the travel site GoTrump.com, his name became a logo stamped onto products promising prestige, luxury, and success.

One of the more bizarre entries in the Trump business archive is Trump Steaks, a premium mail-order meat brand he launched in 2007 with the promise that it would deliver the world's greatest steaks. The rollout was unconventional. Instead of grocery stores or gourmet markets, Trump partnered with Sharper Image, a retail chain better known for selling the likes of massage chairs, air purifiers, and tech gadgets. With Trump's personal stamp of approval, the steaks were pitched as high-end gifts for the aspirational consumer. But despite the hype and Trump's flair for promotion, Trump Steaks flamed out almost immediately. Within just two months of their launch, they vanished from shelves, and the venture disappeared with little fanfare.

Donald Trump's history of failed enterprises dates back to at least 1988, when he paid around $365 million for Eastern Air Shuttle and rebranded it as the premium Trump Shuttle. Despite gold-plated interiors and higher fares, mounting debt led to its subsequent sale to US Airways in 1997. In 2005, he launched Trump University, an unaccredited real estate seminar program charging up to $35,000. It shuttered in 2010, with Trump also agreeing to a $25 million fraud settlement regarding the institution in 2016.

In 2006, Trump also introduced GoTrump.com, a luxury travel booking site powered by Travelocity, which quietly disappeared within a year. That same year, he also founded Trump Mortgage, which collapsed in 2007 amid the housing crisis and scrutiny of its CEO's fraudulent résumé. Also in 2006, Trump expanded into beverages with Trump Vodka. This was sold in a gold-accented skyscraper-shaped bottle and was a curious choice considering the fact that Trump doesn't drink alcohol. Despite a glitzy launch, sales floundered and almost all production ended by 2011.

The following year, Trump debuted Trump Magazine, a glossy luxury lifestyle publication that folded by 2009 after missing advertising targets and failing to meet payroll. Trump Ice, a line of bottled spring water sold at Trump properties, was also introduced in the 2000s but vanished by 2010, except for appearing briefly in 2023 during a political event.

On May 8, 2007, Donald Trump kicked off the Trump Steaks rollout with a launch event at the Sharper Image store in Rockefeller Plaza, New York City. Joined onstage by then-CEO Jerry W. Levin and Certified Angus Beef president John Stika, Trump addressed a crowd eager to sample the new product. Chefs grilled porterhouse and filet mignon, while caterers circulated gourmet burgers. Throughout the showroom, Trump Steaks, grill sets, and other Sharper Image offerings were displayed for purchase. Oversized posters of Trump beside steaming steaks and televisions looping promotional ads turned the store into a branded showcase.

The following month's Sharper Image catalog captured the event's energy. The cover featured a beaming Trump pointing down at a platter of perfectly cooked steaks. Timed to launch just before Father's Day, the catalog presentation positioned the exclusive steak collection as the ultimate gift for summer grilling.

Donald Trump is famously a big meat fan, with the president preferring his steak well-done with ketchup. To distribute Trump Steaks, the then real estate mogul marketed the beef through QVC, airing commercials where he promoted the steaks. However, Sharper Image was its most prominent partnership. Why would a gadget store sell premium steaks branded by a reality TV star? Well, that is exactly what customers wondered when they spotted posters of Trump in their local Sharper Image outlets.

In an interview during the Trump Steaks launch party, then-CEO Jerry W. Levin said the deal began when a mutual friend in the entertainment industry suggested they handle distribution. Levin insisted that Trump Steaks fit the company's overarching goal (via Getty Images). But in a 2016 ThinkProgress interview, he admitted that the partnership was "truly a non sequitur" and that he was confused from the offset.

In a 2007 Sharper Image promo video shared by Trump Ownership on YouTube, Trump himself said, "The Sharper Image is one of my favorite stores with fantastic products of all kinds," adding that he was "thrilled" that it agreed his steaks were the greatest in the world.

Since Sharper Image stores primarily sold electronics and novelty items, not perishable foods, Trump Steaks were available exclusively through mail order. Customers could place orders by phone or online from Sharper Image, QVC, or the Trump Steaks website (which has since been taken down).

Shipped overnight by FedEx, the packaging and instructions reflected the Trump brand's effort to position the steaks as a premium, gourmet experience. According to the original Trump Steaks website, the steaks were individually vacuum-sealed in airtight plastic and arranged in a branded Trump Steaks gift box. This box was surrounded by reusable branded gel ice packs, placed inside a thick insulated foam cooler, and finally sealed inside a cardboard shipping box. 

Because the steaks arrived frozen, customers were required to thaw them before cooking. Smaller cuts, like filet mignon, needed at least four hours to thaw. Larger cuts, including the 2-inch porterhouse, required overnight thawing in the refrigerator.

Donald Trump's foray into the mail-order steak business leaned heavily on his personal brand. As Jerry Levin recalled to ThinkProgress, the Trump Organization had two main requirements: "Donald wanted his picture on the front of a Sharper Image catalog when we introduced this, and he wanted his picture in every one of our stores when we introduced it."

Despite the celebrity billing, the product itself carried only standard certifications. All Trump Steaks were USDA-grade prime beef, supplied by Buckhead Beef, a Sysco subsidiary already providing meat to Trump's hotels (where the president himself often prefers to eat) and casinos. There was no special dry-aging, sourcing story, or distinctive preparation to set them apart from other mail-order meats.

However, according to several online forums and GQ's review section, the product failed to deliver on the promise of being world-class steak. Several QVC reviews, which have since been removed, described the steaks as greasy, bland, and overpriced. According to Death and Taxes, one customer wrote, "Dreadful pieces of meat for a high price. ... It's hard to believe these are the same pieces that Mr. Trump eats." GQ quotes another as complaining that "the filet was grainy like liver." Nice.

Trump Steaks came at a steep cost, whether purchased à la carte or in curated gift bundles. A pack of four 4 to 6-ounce filet mignon cost $99, and larger packs reached $289.95. New York strips and Kansas City strips, cowboy rib-eyes, and porterhouse steaks followed similar patterns, with eight-piece bundles frequently climbing above $300.

The brand also leaned into gifting as part of its luxury appeal, offering themed collections. The Trump Classic Collection featured two filet mignons, two New York strips, and two Delmonico rib-eyes for $239.00. Larger assortments — like the Trump Fifth Avenue Collection and Mar-a-Lago Collection, each containing 16 various premium steaks — were priced at $549.00. These included high-ounce cuts, such as the famously hefty cut that is a porterhouse steak and 20-ounce cowboy rib-eye. The top tier was the Trump Gold Collection, a 32-piece extravaganza including veal rib chops and lamb rib chops, all packaged for a cool $1,199. This collection spanned eight types of steak and chop cuts, merging beef and specialty meats into one deluxe offering.

Despite a splashy rollout and upscale packaging, the combination of sky-high prices and an unexpected retail partner doomed the product from the start. The Trump Steaks venture collapsed within two months of its debut. Sales never took off, and by late summer 2007, the steaks were quietly pulled.

Sharper Image's reputation for gadgets and novelty items made it a curious home for a luxury food line. Even then-CEO Levin admitted he wasn't convinced the pairing would work. "We had no real expectations in terms of this thing working because it was so out of the box," he later told ThinkProgress. "I didn't invest any money in it, at all. I would be surprised if I invested $25,000 in this whole thing. We set up the logistics, they did all the work. We were just an agent to sell them, really."

Levin estimated that total steak sales never exceeded $50,000. Although the high-profile launch generated headlines for Sharper Image, the steaks themselves failed to capture consumer interest, and the brand was quickly forgotten.