Selling merch has been a core part of Donald Trump‘s personal enrichment strategy for a long time. It took his supporters no time at all to capitalize as well. While the red MAGA ballcap may be the most infamous item of pro-Trump apparel, it’s not the only one. Now Las Vegas has its very own Trump store packed with items idolizing the former Apprentice host. Between the Elon Musk t-shirts and generic American flag / bald eagle merchandise, it’s a lot to take in. Profiting off the president’s image amid escalating human rights violations? Surely Sin City’s better than that.
Trump Merch Has a New Home in Las Vegas Store
While cities, including Las Vegas, have featured anti-Trump protests, the Trump store has doubled down on supporting the president. Meanwhile, fascist activities from Musk (like performing the Nazi salute and retweeting white supremacists) have led to world-world protests against the CEO and Trump ally. Damaging Cybertrucks and disrupting Tesla dealerships have also become common forms of protest. It seems a risky time to run a store devoted to Trump, but perhaps that’s part of the marketing gimmick.
A Reddit post by u/Healthy-Meat-4948 about the Trump store garnered over 1.2k upvotes and many comments critical of the shop. One commenter pointed out the misspelled cap featured in the post, saying,”‘US Army Vetran’ quality merch.” While some questioned the quality of the products, others speculated about where the products were manufactured. Another commenter raised the obvious specter of direct action, saying,
The window and glass store down the street is super excited about this new business opportunity.
Profiting off Trump’s name and image while the president orders the unjust suppression of speech and detention of innocent people is a choice, to say the least. How the people of Las Vegas feel about the store is another matter.