The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday stunned and captivated millions across the world, sparking a surge in the sale of related merchandise.
Influencers quickly capitalized on the incident. Conservative commentator Candace Owens began selling a shirt with the message “For God And Country” featuring an image of Trump with his fist raised following the shooting. Similar shirts are being sold by Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump administration official and movie star, as well as pro-Trump retailers like Trumpmagashop.com and The Trump Store.
The Hodge twins, a pair of right-wing YouTubers and podcast hosts, launched a series of products related to the incident. They have pledged all profits from their five different shirts—including ones that read “Fight! Fight! Fight!” and “You Missed F*ckers”—to Trump’s election campaign.
Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, has promoted a shirt from Old Row that reads “If you come at the king you best not miss,” featuring an image of Trump standing triumphantly after the assassination attempt. Portnoy’s company acquired Old Row in 2016.
Similar merchandise is flooding online marketplaces such as Etsy and eBay. A search on Etsy yields over 1,000 related products like shirts, stickers, and mugs, while eBay features over 1,200 results, including trading cards.
At least one Chinese retailer began selling related products on the online shopping platform Taobao immediately after the news broke. Seller Li Jinewei reported receiving more than 2,000 orders within three hours.
Creating merchandise based on major events has become a common strategy for retailers looking to profit from public interest. For example, a small retailer quickly made over $9,800 from an “I survived the NYC earthquake” shirt just 21 hours after a magnitude 4.8 earthquake hit the northeastern U.S. in April, CNBC reported.
Following Trump’s arrest and booking by the Fulton County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office in August 2023, related merchandise flooded the internet. While Trump’s campaign has not yet released products related to the assassination attempt, they had previously offered merchandise after his arrest. Political rivals also created products, and even the band Green Day sold a ‘nimrod’ t-shirt for 72 hours.
After the shooting, which resulted in the death of one spectator and critically injured two others attending the rally, Trump is reported to be safe. The alleged shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was also killed, according to the Secret Service. Trump is still expected to speak at the Republican National Convention this week in Milwaukee.