Donald Trump’s political operation is capitalizing on his flurry of decrees and slogans by selling thematic merchandise, including black “Dark MAGA” caps like those worn by Elon Musk, “DOGE” T-shirts featuring Trump and Musk side by side, as well as “Make Greenland Great Again” and “Gulf of America.” The sale of pro-Trump tchotchkes has proven lucrative, but it’s more than just a business: over time it has built a $500 million political treasury to fund Trump’s battles, from the midterm elections to his political future. The former president’s team is known to turn controversy into viral gadgets, as it did in 2020 with anti-ecological plastic straws that quickly sold out.
The black MAGA caps have brought in $1.6 million since the election, almost twice as much as the red ones. Despite the fact that Musk and his DOGE team are currently under indictment for their likely illegal move to slash the federal workforce, the hats in particular, sold for $40 each, are registering many sales as they continue to be purchased by Trump supporters.
One the top-selling trinkets of the moment among the president’s supporters is the black version of the cap with Gothic lettering, donned by Musk recently at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), whose sale to the public has already netted as much as $400,000 since the election.
Behind Trump’s political strategy is Launchpad Strategies, a Republican digital company co-founded by Trump campaign aide Sean Dollman, which is in charge of producing the merchandise. “These items are based on headline news, and the Trump operation excels at rapidly disseminating these types of products to fit into the news cycle,” said Tim Cameron, Republican digital strategist.
