Donald Trump's bid for the throne has taken on a whole new meaning with the news that a bathroom fixture company in Shenzhen in southern China is making headway with its high-end toilets branded "Trump".
If the Republican front-runner fails in his White House bid, relief is in sight – Shenzhen Trump Industrial Company Limited produces all kinds of lavatorial fixtures such as smart toilet seats and other bathroom fixtures for venues such as "high-end spas, hotels . . . and public institutions".
The website shows a pretty foreign child embracing a classy Trump jacks, which has automatic self-changing seat protectors available in both green and blue.
Asked if he feared that Mr Trump – who has dozens of brands bearing his name, though no toilet manufacturing facilities – might use lawyers to flush them out over using the name, Zhong Jianwei, general manager of Shenzhen Trump Industrial, said his company was in existence long before his toilet’s namesake entered the presidential rates and the name was just a coincidence.
"Our trademark has been registered with the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and has been used for over 10 years," Mr Zhong told the Global Times newspaper.
The company's Chinese name, Chuang Pu, translates as "innovate everywhere" and sounds similar to Mr Trump's Chinese name, Chuan Pu.
"It is a common foreign name. Donald Trump is only one of many Trumps throughout the world. We did not use his portrait or reputation [to gain profit]," Mr Zhong said.
Intriguingly, another Trump-branded product in China is the air purifier made by Trump Electronics in Anhui Province (since 1996). Perhaps the two companies could find some synergies?
Mr Trump has been down the toilet route during the campaign. Last year he mocked Hillary Clinton for apparently taking a toilet break during a televised Democratic debate.
“I know where she went. It’s disgusting,” he told supporters at a rally in Michigan. It was not clear whether Ms Clinton was using a Trump toilet.
