T-shirts featuring Trump raising his fist after an assassination attempt are now on sale in China. Discover the reactions and popularity of this merchandise.
Pictures of the incident featuring ex-President Donald Trump, his right hand tightly clenched in a fist above encircling Secret Service agents and clutching at an apparent ear injury caused by gunfire have been disseminated across global headlines and various corners of the internet.
China’s e-commerce platforms are currently offering T-shirts with these designs for as low as $4.
Chinese retailers swiftly took advantage of the pictures following an assassination attempt on Trump during a rally last Saturday by engaging in Taobao and JD.com, two major e-commerce platforms in the country.
One T-shirt circulated online read “Let’s elevate America once more,” while another one said, “Enhanced by Shooting.”
A variety of photos captured the moment on the shirts, among them one of the most unforgettable taken by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci.
Although the potency of these visuals have been acknowledged globally, Chinese producers possess a unique advantage in capitalizing on prevalent trends and transforming them into items at a rapid pace. As it serves as the planet’s primary manufacturing hub and houses an extremely competitive domestic online retail marketplace, its minor merchants are ready to leverage any consumer-oriented product inclination with precision accuracy.
As of Monday, a significant number of the T-shirts were not readily available. Conducting a search for “Trump T-shirt” on JD yielded no results while Taobao displayed various other Trump-themed shirts.
Despite initial reluctance, several stores managed to offer discreet access to the products through covert links, while alternative Trump-themed shirts were discoverable by using a Chinese moniker.
The reason for concealing the shirts remains uncertain, however, China’s national internet is predominantly isolated from the worldwide web and subjected to strict censorship regulations that oversee its e-commerce platforms. There may be potential copyright violations associated with using the pictures.
Lauren Easton, AP’s vice president of corporate communications, stated that the photo taken by Evan Vucci is a source of pride for The Associated Press and acknowledges its significant impact. Furthermore, they hold ownership rights to this compelling image.
Despite the original link stating that the shirt was sold out, an AP journalist managed to purchase a shirt featuring an image of the moment for 61 yuan ($8). The customer service representative initially claimed it violated regulations without providing further details. However, they ultimately provided a new link enabling customers to order said shirt.
A Taobao store presented a collection of five distinct T-shirts, each featuring images from the rally that occurred on Saturday. Inquiring about any options depicting Trump being fired at yielded negative responses. These shirts were marketed for 34.9 yuan ($4).
On Monday, searching for “Trump Jianguo” led to online shops selling rally-themed T-shirts. However, this became less effective as the day progressed.
During Trump’s presidency, the Chinese internet coined a moniker for him – Trump Jianguo. The name “Jianguo” implies nation-building and was a commonly used patriotic name in the 50s and 60s when China just became Communist People’s Republic. This nickname is sarcastic as some believe that despite his strong words, some of Trum’p policies inadvertently benefitted China.
For a while now, Chinese business owners have been profiting greatly from the association with Trump’s name as many of his products were manufactured in Yiwu, which is known for its wholesale market during the 2020 election.
There was no immediate comment from Alibaba, the parent company of Taobao, or JD.com in response to requests.
