Timothy L. O'Brien, Columnist

How Do You Say 'Drain the Swamp' in Chinese?

After a decade of trying, the Trump Organization just won trademark protections in China. Coincidence? That's what the Trump people say.

February 17, 2017 at 9:57 AM EST

By Timothy L. O'Brien

Timothy L. O'Brien is senior executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion. A former editor and reporter for the New York Times, he is author of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald.”

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Photographer: GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images

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Donald Trump got his good name back earlier this week. On Tuesday, China gave the president new trademark protections for his business operations there, something that the Trump Organization had been pursuing unsuccessfully for about a decade.

That’s all well and good for Trump the businessman. He’s a developer who also essentially markets himself as a human shingle. To that end, he has licensed his name over the years to sell everything from men's underwear and mattresses to real estate, golf courses and casinos.

Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal

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