Why Trump merchandise is going through the roof on the internet
From shirts and key rings to can coolers: online retailers are making a quick buck with an already iconic photo of Donald Trump
- Etsy is the new Trump Fanshop
- Trump merch booming on Amazon
- Campaign funding through merch sales
- China bans shirts from shops
Just last week, former US president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump was lucky to survive an assignation attempt on his person. The now famous photo taken by an AP photographer just seconds after the shooting with Trump's face covered in blood in front of the American flag, surrounded by security guards, raising his fist in fury, spurring on his audience to fight. Just about as quickly, the image has been plastered on all sorts of products from shirts to can coolers. Today, we’re breaking down some of the mechanics behind the viral products.
It is perhaps the photo of a lifetime. Evan Vucci, a photographer for the international press agency AP living in Washington was at the campaign event in Pennsylvania last Saturday where the attempt was made on Trump's life. He took the photo that some claim has already decided the presidential election—but Trump is not the only one to benefit from the photo.
Since last weekend, eager online entrepreneurs have also been making use of Trump's victory fist pose. China was the first to do so. Just three hours after the attack, the first T-shirts with the image appeared on Chinese e-commerce platforms such as JD and Taobao, priced at seven US dollars. A 25-year-old Taobao retailer told the South China Morning Post that she had received over 2,000 orders within a few hours.
Etsy is the new Trump Fanshop
Retailers outside China are now also responding to the exploding demand. The US DIY sales platform Etsy has quickly transformed itself into what is essentially a Trump merch store: endless pages featuring shirts and posters, as well as can coolies and key rings with the image.
The situation is similar on Redbubble, a US online marketplace for print-on-demand products. Anyone looking for Trump merch can find stickers for their water bottle, shirts with the slogan "Liberals can't shoot. For shit" and caps with the words "You missed, Fuckers."
Trump merch booming on Amazon
The demand would seem to be there: In one day, from Saturday to Sunday, the number of Google searches for the keyword "Trump t-shirt" shot through the roof stateside. In Europe, there has been a similar spike in demand since Sunday morning, just as the news was spreading in the media here.
On Amazon USA, the "Donald Trump 2024 Survived Shot At Election Rally T-Shirt" is first in the "New Shirts" category (as of Tuesday morning). Products such as mugs, caps and posters with the motif - the latter for a whopping 90 dollars - are now also available on German Amazon. Some retailers use Amazon's merch-on-demand service for this.
Campaign funding through merch sales
Trump himself is also indirectly benefiting from the boom surrounding the new merchandise. In addition to online retailers, right-wing influencers are also taking advantage of the momentum. For example, the "Hodge Twins" a conservative comedy duo from the US with more than three million YouTube subscribers have been selling a shirt with the motif and the inscription "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" for around USD 30 since Saturday. However, they are not interested in their own money. According to their own statement on X, they are donating all the profits to to Trump's campaign.
In the long run, all of this merchandise is unlikely to be legal, as only very few online providers have concluded license agreements with the authors. The rights to the photo are held by the Associated Press, the press agency for which Evan Vucci, who took the photo, also works. AP made it clear to the news website Axios that the copyrights are owned by the press agency and that it intends to enforce these rights.
China bans shirts from shops
Chinese platforms such as Taobao and JD have since removed the shirts from their shops. It is not clear whether the reason for this is copyright infringement. The BBC believes that the long-running trade war between China and the USA is the main reason for the Chinese government's decision.
In any case, the products can still be purchased on most e-commerce platforms in the West. Even on Kleinanzeigen.de, for 25 euros and of course "high quality print and excellent material." The superlatives almost make it sound as if Trump himself had written the description.
