How proud are you to be living in a country where, on International Women’s Day, our President receives trademark approval for Trump branded escort services in China?

It’s being reported today that, after years of waiting, our President’s trademark application for Trump branded escort services in China has finally been approved.

Happy International Women’s Day!

While I suspect it’s just a precautionary move on Trump’s part, a proactive legal strategy to keep other vile men from from making a buck by using the valuable “Trump” brand to sell sex in China, I suppose, given Trump’s history when it come to pimping out young models, he could actually be positioning himself for a lucrative career in the international sex trade post impeachment. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

For what it’s worth, it wasn’t just his trademark for escort services that got preliminary approval today. Trump received approval for 37 other trademarks in China as well. He also got word that the Trump brand would be protected relative to hotels, spas, real estate companies, bars, massage parlors, and any number of other things. While Hong Kong intellectual-property officials told the Associate Press that the trademarks were approved much more quickly than usual, a partner at the Beijing law firm that represents the Trump Organization, Spring Chang, told reporters that she didn’t, “see any special treatment” on behalf of America’s new President.

Thankfully, elected officials, like Senator like Ben Cardin, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, don’t seem willing to just let this pass without mention. In fact, Cardin is asking for a hearing, arguing this very well might be a violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which states that no-one holding elected office in the United States should “accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever” from a foreign government. And this really does look like a present on behalf of the Chinese government. Why, after denying Trump for over a decade, are they approving these trademarks now? What’s changed? And, come to think if it, why has Trump still not made good on his promise to address his multiple conflicts of interest?