Republicans and Republican-targeting grifters are trying to get rich off the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, flooding the internet with nearly as much merch as baseless conspiracy theories.
Swaths of tacky, ostentatious, and flat-out ugly shoes, shirts, tapestries, and buttons have hit digital retailers like Etsy, Amazon, and the candidate’s own site as artisans seek to make a buck on the senseless act of violence.
As of Monday, there were at least 100 listings on eBay featuring images of the bloodied Trump on t-shirts, mugs, and sweatshirts, according to an initial New York Times report.
While several contain now famous images from AP photographer Evan Vucci and the New York Times’ Doug Mills of Trump holding his fist in the air, a vast majority of vendors apparently skipped out on seeking appropriate clearances for them, despite photo wire services issuing disclosures on the images urging that they not be used for unauthorized campaign or commercial purposes.
But assassination-mania has gone even more viral, prompting a Trump-owned company to launch the $300 “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT High-Tops,” a pair of sneakers that rival Trump’s last crack at sneaker-making in daily practicality. The sneakers — featuring the president’s image and the rallying cry he delivered emerging from a cluster of Secret Service officers — are limited to 5,000 numbered pairs, and were still available in all sizes more than 12 hours after going on sale, but have since sold out.
Outside the states, Chinese designers and manufacturers readied their first batch of merch less than three hours after the shooting, per the South China Morning Post.
Even Trump surrogates and allies have hopped in on the cash grab, including Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump official who launched his own $30 tee, and the right-wing YouTubers The Hodge twins who, per Quartz, launched at least five designs referring to the assassination attempt.
Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.
But it’s not just the digital world where the assassination apparel is making the rounds: the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee is practically a fashion show for any and all MAGA-aggrandizing products.
According to The Hill, the hottest sellers are shirts — some up to $50 a piece — featuring the candidate’s inciting words on stage seconds after the attempt on his life: “Fight, Fight, Fight!”
Outside of mass-produced merchandise, some RNC delegates were spotted donning makeshift ear bandage facsimiles — in tribute to Trump’s own, following the hit on his ear — using everything from napkins to Post-it notes to pantyliners in order to capture the look.
And of course, it wouldn’t be the Republican National Convention without a deluge of gun-lover apparel, including pieces that rally around assault weapons, despite a shooter’s use of an AR-15 during the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
And while most rush to put merch links up, others race to pull them down. YouTube personality Demolition Ranch, who was unwittingly tied to the attempt on Trump after the shooter wore a shirt from his own Bunker Branding collection, shared how “shocked and confused” he was to see Crooks donning his brand.
Bunker Branding removed a listing for a red hat reading “Make Politicians Afraid Again,” per reporter Helen Kennedy.
Read more
about this topic