If you wanted to, you could smell like Donald Trump. Or you could drink coffee developed by Rudy Giuliani. You could also use a nicotine product developed by Tucker Carlson, read your children a Trump-themed book written by Mike Huckabee, take health pills hawked by Dr Oz and wear T-shirts designed by Kash Patel.
These are only a few of the products that Trump and people in his circle are selling to the American public, as Republicans and the right wing have established an unprecedented culture of grifting – hawking everything from Bibles to scraps of fabric to NFTs in a ruse that has become a multimillion-dollar micro industry.
Trump’s gold sneakers, launched in February, have brought him almost $400,000 alone. He’s also made $300,000 from selling poorly reviewed Bibles, according to financial disclosures, and has recently been pushing a “fight, fight, fight” range of colognes and perfumes.
The incoming president also sells, in no particular order: watches, guitars, boots, drinks coolers, flip-flops, candles, drinking glasses, doormats, water bottles, a “candle care kit”, slippers, corkscrews, a cheeseboard, a bottle opener, dog leashes, a “Gold Trump Serving Tray”, a “Trump Havana Wood Cigar Ashtray”, a $95 Christmas ornament, an $85 passport holder, a picnic blanket, a baseball, a $62 throw pillow and a $70 “Trump Leatherette Coaster Set”.
The fact “Trump Stores” are a thing and have been around for almost a decade both perplexes and nauseates me.
Yep, I drove by one on an interstate exit on the way to Atlanta last month. Made me want to retch.
There’s a dude that hawks Trump branded shit year round in my area. He has this popup stand with flags, t shirts, hats, and other Trump bullshit. He seems to bounce back and forth between two locations in my town and the next one over, but he does this year round. I know he’s making money. He’s been doing it for years and there’s plenty of idiots flying Trump flags in their yards and on their trucks around here.
I almost wish I didn’t have a sense of shame. I wouldn’t mind making a few bucks off of the literal worse people in the country by selling them stupid cheap knick knacks.
Huh, someone does that here too. Some black food truck like trailer with a ton of Trump merch
Get a box of 50 flags from Aliexpress for $5, sell them for $10 each. He might not be stupid.
$10? Try $50. I haven’t been to a Trump merch stall, but I’ve been to plenty of sci-fi conventions, and I imagine their ludicrous markups are less ludicrous than the Trump merch people.
Oh I don’t think he is stupid, at least not in terms of making a buck. I’ve not actually visited his stand to see his price and quality, but I would venture to guess that his margins are astronomical.
You’d have to talk the talk though.