CNN’s Anderson Cooper turned President Donald Trump’s latest merchandising blitz into must-see comedy on the June 10, 2026 episode of “Anderson Cooper 360,” skewering the first family for hawking $12,000 gold coins to commemorate a UFC cage fight set for the White House South Lawn on June 14 — a date that also happens to be the president’s 80th birthday.
The 59-year-old host devoted a lengthy segment to what he framed as an ever-expanding catalog of Trump-branded products, and at one point lost his composure entirely while reading the marketing copy for the president’s gold-plated smartphone. The segment quickly went viral after Cooper himself shared a clip on social media.
A $12,000 Coin for the Cage Fight
The centerpiece of Cooper’s segment was the new line of “We, The People” medallion coins, branded as “Trump Coins” and marketed as the official gold and silver of UFC 250. The coins come in four varieties, ranging from a silver medallion priced at nearly $250 to a gold version that retails for $11,999.99. The packaging features a portrait of Trump alongside UFC chief Dana White.
The collaboration is between the UFC and the Trump Organization, which is run by the president’s sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. According to the official sales site, the coins are “the only officially licensed Donald J. Trump medallions on the market” — and, the site claims, they are personally designed by the president himself.
“The site says they are all designed by President Trump himself, which is amazing. Where does he find the time?” Cooper quipped.
The June 14 bout, officially billed as the Freedom 250 fight, is being staged inside an Octagon currently under construction on the South Lawn. The White House has framed the event as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, though critics note the timing dovetails neatly with the president’s 80th birthday.
The Sprawling Trump Merch Catalog
Cooper used the coin launch as a springboard to walk viewers through the full inventory of Trump-branded products. The list included the $99 Bible, a first lady Bible, the Presidential edition Bible priced at $99.99, the $399 “Never Surrender” high-tops, and the $499 gold-plated T1 phone, which Cooper noted is “finally shipping after long delays” — nearly a year after the company began taking customers’ money.
Cooper also pointed to the Trump meme coin, which the president launched in a social media post three days before his January 20, 2025 inauguration, and noted that the Trump family has now launched four separate crypto projects.
“A May 2026 analysis found the Trump family have used these projects to generate at least $2.3 billion, which is great for them, not so great for more than a million investors who have net losses totaling $2.3 billion,” Cooper said.
The Moment Cooper Lost It
The anchor’s professional veneer cracked when he reached the marketing language for the T1 phone. While the device was originally touted as being “Made in the USA,” it is now marketed as “designed with American values in mind.”
“Sorry,” Cooper said, breaking into laughter mid-sentence. He apologized and continued through another chuckle, asking viewers to “pause and reflect on that claim for a moment.” He went on: “I don’t know what that means. Someone was thinking about America when they signed the contract to hawk these? Experts say they closely resemble a phone made in China, but somehow, American values were thought about when they were designed. Rest easy.”
Cooper also flagged a presidential social media post from March 2026 — sent three weeks into the war with Iran — in which Trump touted a headline claiming the same Never Surrender high-tops were selling for $180,000 at a sneaker convention in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Lawsuit and White House Pushback
The cage fight has already triggered a lawsuit from two Virginia residents who argue the event financially benefits both Trump and White. The complaint contends the event “is not in any material sense a ‘celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence’ — it is, instead, a celebration of the UFC’s brand and the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump’s birth.” A federal judge has ordered the administration to respond.
An April 2026 financial disclosure indicated Trump had purchased $50,000 in stock in UFC’s parent company, a detail that has only fueled questions about conflicts of interest.
The White House dismissed the scrutiny. Spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement that “Fake News’ continued attempts to fabricate conflicts of interest are irresponsible and reinforce the public’s distrust in what they read,” adding that “Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public.”
As Cooper signed off the segment, he returned to his recurring punchline about a president who finds time to design coins, sneakers, Bibles and phones while also running the country: “Where does he find the time?”
