#Trump brand is hurting, except when it comes to TV: survey

The latest indication that President Trump could jump to TV after leaving the White House came in the form of a new survey released this week that shows the real estate man’s brands are falling — except when it comes to TV.

A new Brand Keys survey conducted in late October among 1,812 self-identified Republicans, Democrats and independents found that only one of Trump’s brand businesses is soaring over last year: “TV/Entertainment.” The rest of his brands, including hotels and golf courses, have suffered declines.

The survey follows weeks of rumors that the former “Apprentice” star could either start his own conservative cable network after he leaves the White House, score a lucrative deal with far-right networks AON or Newsmax, or reconcile with Fox for his own show.

It found that about 20 percent of people questioned said they would “definitely/probably” tune in if Trump were to return to a gig on TV, including 41 percent of Republicans, 15 percent of independents and even 7 percent of Democrats.

The study looked at four categories, including TV/Entertainment, Golf & Country Clubs, Hotels and Real Estate. It found that his TV/Entertainment brand has risen 5 percent among Republicans over the last survey completed in January. The real estate, hotels and golf course brands, by contrast, were down across all political affiliations.

“It’s difficult for one brand, even one as strong as Trump’s, to operate successfully in the consumer and political arenas simultaneously,” explained Robert Passikoff, founder and president of Brand Keys, who pegged Trump as a “human brand” as far back as 1991.

“I’ve been following Trump as a brand for 30 years,” said Passikoff. “Clothing, suits, ties, watches, and jewelry that we traditionally tracked all but vanished. MAGA hats and tee-shirts were self-classified by respondents as political statements rather than traditional clothing.”

Of course, Trump TV could mean bad news for President-elect Joe Biden, whose November election win he has contested. According to Axios, Trump plans to break with inauguration tradition on Jan. 20 to host a rally at his Mar-a-Lago country club in Florida that could compete for attention in the midst of the swearing-in ceremony.