Trump nets nearly a million dollars in Trump plastic straws and Trump sharpies.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/13/us/politics/donald-trump-2020-campaign.html

https://dailycaller.com/2019/09/14/sharpie-trump-elections/

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/06/trump-campaign-cashing-in-on-alabama-sharpie-controversy-he-complains-about.html

"Siphoning Twitter rage over the straws created a revenue stream. According to data shared by Trump campaign officials this week, almost 55,000 packs of straws have been sold, netting over $823,000 in sales. More than a third of the people who bought the items had never donated to the campaign before that purchase

"While drinking straws and black markers are churned out the speed of a Twitter news cycle, that is nothing compared with the new varieties of T-shirts that go on the market after Mr. Trump tangles with a Democratic congressman or prominent journalist.

For $34, fans can buy a recent model lampooning the CNN anchor Chris Cuomo for unleashing a profanity-laced tirade on a pair of men who called him “Fredo,” a reference to the incompetent son of Marlon Brando in “The Godfather.” The shirt is meant to mock Mr. Cuomo’s assertion that the moniker was a slur against Italians."

"A Pencil Neck illustration — a crude depiction of Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, based on a name Mr. Trump called him in a tweet"

"Ms. Wingard said that a person’s desire to buy a pack of straws or a red hat reflects the work of a campaign trying to monetize everything from heated cultural battles to consequential presidential mistakes, and a president who instinctively understands that a lot of attention — negative or otherwise — translates to money."

“He can get bad press, people can make fun of him,” Ms. Wingard said, “but the Sharpie campaign shows very flat out that it doesn’t matter. He’s going to make money off of it.”

Trump is making some easy money off outrage. What I find most interesting is that many of the people purchasing this stuff have never donated to a political campaign. Apparently 1/3rd which seems significant. Is he tapping into an untapped market with this kind of stuff? possibly?

Is Trump successfully making money off trolling? Tim Pool also talked about this recently, i found his take interesting, what do you guys think?

@joebones5000: I've personally not bought any of this stuff, but the fredo shirt I do find funny lol. We definently have never seen a politician get campaign donations with this style of marketing.

Normally its donate and get a bumper sticker or a shirt, certainly trump did it with hats, but to sell products on current events and stories seems unique. Even if you assume its idiots buying the stuff, the marketing behind it you have to admit is unique maybe even smart. Making almost a million bucks off straws is quite a feat. I couldnt do that lol

Only thing I can find in poor taste is the plastic straws. The planet is being killed, we don’t need more of that waste.

The rest is pretty funny. I wouldn’t buy any of it myself.

Well played, Trump.

10 straws for $15. Yep, the man knows how dumb his base is.

Amazin'.

I gotta buy one of these. It's a piece of history.

Yup

True, i might as well lol

They're nothing but a bunch of trolls who would burn America to ashes to get their daily kicks of partisan squabbling.

Next he'll celebrate thanksgiving by throwing MAGA plastic bags directly in the ocean.

Is this supposed to be proof of Trump 'owning the libs' or his supporters being gullible morons willingly giving their money away for shit in return?

@HoolaHoopMan: It's being worn as a badge of pride, lol.

They sure owned us, haha.

Apparently gag shirts and props being sold to morons is a genius business idea now. No wonder Trump was able to grift millions from people in his fake university.

@HoolaHoopMan: hey I think the fredo shirt is funny, come on now you gotta admit thats funny, regardless of how you lean politically, that video of Cuomo having a mental breakdown over being called fredo was gold.

All I'm saying is trumps merch is the most creative ive seen from anyone in office. You disagree?

At least the straws are recyclable...

He's wants even more money even tho he has his businesses of Trump Hotels and making six figures writing tweets.

LOL his base...…….

I warned about this. This will win votes. Trump is using the social/legacy media's/echo chamber's outrage culture to make them look like the fools they are. If you don't allow people with other opinions than your own on your platforms and base your outcries on lies and smears, your voice will become irrelevant when it comes to the important things in life. Such as elections. We're now at the point that published criticism of Trump is close becoming a complete comedy. Good luck actually criticising Trump at that point.

Or f*** Trump, the whole criticism of 'the left' on society is becoming one big joke. The outcry about a white lady cutting a dark friends' hair being racist... or dieting being assault... Calling the ****ing Dalai Lama far-right... Protecting violent protests from Antifa... Now the critics throwing away their careers to bomb Dave Chappelle... Why not put up a 50 feet banner to celebrate the life of Mao Zedong when you're the NYT? These voices are so far removed from any common sense. None of that stuff is helping. I would LOVE to see a liberal President in 2020 but it's not going to happen if we throw our sincerity and common sense away. The media needs to stop their smear campaigns and one-sided reporting. Make Journalist a protected title based on their accuracy, or something, and stop popularising echo chambers because they are undermining not only liberalism and the left, but also our ability to have an adult conversation about these topics on the internet. And the critics should start doing their f***ing job again that they are being paid for.

If the USA doesn't fix their intolerant authoritarian regressive tantrums from forming policies, influencing court of law, online moderation, education, reviews, and hitting front page news, it isn't outside the realm of imagination that we'll never see a liberal POTUS again.

Sorry, I'm necessarily in awe at a conman selling shitty merchandise to his cult members.

I hope we can import these.

@uninspiredcup: Fret not because I’m sure you can buy them for less than a dollar over AliExpress or AliBaba, since these items are without a doubt made in China.

Well said.

People can see that a lot of this "outrage", which you categorize well in your post, is dangerous. If given credence, it turns normal people just living their lives, in to "bad people" who can be dismissed and disrespected.

Most people carry some bias and some prejudice, but do their best not to act on them. They are very wary of a political movement that seems ready to pounce on the smallest slight as justification to shame and shun.

The usual suspects on this forum want to see this as Trump scamming his supporters, because they see themselves as smart, and Trump's supporters as dumb. But the people buying this stuff know they are making a political contribution. Combine that with the number that have never donated to a campaign before, and those opposed to Trump should be worried, not smug.

Based cheap work-force.

I see it more as proudly embracing the fact that Trump is a man-child who can't stand being wrong about the smallest things and proudly displaying a shared callous contempt for the planet. Normal people would find it weird and embarassing and try to distance themselves from it.

This is very awesome, if you are 13 years old.

"OMG HE TROLLZ U GUYZ SO GUD!11"

Also oof his supporters are just getting scammed. As usual.

Because, obviously, "normal" people are the ones that see things the same way as you.

South Park made an episode where they poked fun at hybrid cars as the leading cause of Smug. I think we can now update that theory to: Being anti-Trump is the leading cause of Smug.

Being a deliberate asshole on the tier of youtube comments is a marketable feature of a world leader for 30% of America. Evidently.

can't help but think of this.

@KungfuKitten I agree with you 100%. Thanks for the response. I used to root for the left, especially during the Bush years. The Obama Years towards the end, 2014-2015 i was finishing up college and noticed how annoying the left was becoming. The pink hair im offended crowd, all these stupid gender studies kids talking about gender neutral toys, manspreading, safe spaces, white privilege, toxic masculinity, the patriarchy, cultural appropriation, they literally bitched about everythinggg, in my opinion this is such a waste of time to focus so much energy on, they aren't getting anything done, their rhetoric is just divisive idenitarian bullshit, and the worst part is many of them are spoiled white kids, these "progressives" are not Liberals imo. They have hijacked liberalism. . So im not even upset about not getting a democrat president anymore, what the party represents now imo is of no interest of me.(besides tulsi and yang at least they are trying imo)

Its too authoritative and identitarian. I hope they lose and are forced to reflect and like a phoenix rise back up as something different and more rational in the future. I truly don't want fucking rhinos running unopposed, we need a strong democratic party to bring balance. But right now they seem weak and unappealing. They remind me of the religious right from back in the day, the satanic panic. When the evangelical right cried and bitched about everything that offended them and cried for it to be banned or censored. The democrats have literally adopted what i hated about the right. To them the right are crude trolls and the left are holier than thou.

I read something written by someone else the other day and it really did hit me hard, i saved it.

"Funny how times have changed... in the 80's, it was the "religious right" that wanted to ban stuff. Music, books, movies, etc. Nowadays, it's the "religious left". Yes, "identitarianism" is a modern religion. It follows all of the tenants of cult/pseudo-religion. Strict adherence to an illogical yet dogmatic set of "principals". Holier than thou attitudes. Hypocritical behavior. Sees 'free speech' as a dangerous concept. Led by EXTREMELY faithful zealots who see shadows around every corner. The prog-left are the new bible thumpers... except their bible is the "Communist Manifesto" and they worship themselves. Their alter is social media and their church is the MSM. SJWs are the priests and priestesses. And, in their minds, they are preaching to the unconverted heathens and infidels. They are not above making sacrifices. Sometimes, they sacrifice one of their own in the name of "virtue signaling" just how righteous they are."

*sigh*

the left needs to stop being outraged so often, and the right need to wise up and realize they're being manipulated.

Straws and markers? OK. Moving on...

That was one of the biggest eye rolls I've ever read on here. Do you pay attention to real life American politics at all? Are Warren and Sanders et al going on about gender neutral toys and manspreading? Or are they talking about shit that matters like healthcare, war, and climate?

I mean Jesus Christ at least us left wing snowflakes believe climate change is real and support policies that aren't centered exclusively around jerking off rich people.

So you completely shifted ideologies because of a small % of people complaining about worthless stuff on twitter?

How about all the major topics that actually matter?

lol nah, i didn't change ideology because of sjw's, they are just a symptom of something much bigger i dont like.

I never completely shifted ideologies, I've always had a mix of left and right views like many other people, i have no problem jumping party lines if i like that person more than the other person.

as far as major topics that matter. The 1st amendment/freedom of speech is a pretty big one for me, I reject any censorship as long as it doesn't incite direct violence/ harm towards anyone, what words you choose to say are free game, even the idea of hate speech is BS to me.

Freedom of expression especially in the arts, comedy for example, movies, music, video games, journalism, opinion pieces, i dont care what it is, should be fair game.

the 2nd amendment, (this has always been one thing i disagree with the left on consistently)(honestly not impressed with trump either here, he entertained red flag laws, big mistake if he signs off on that..)

Some other things

The drug war/ end it

the industrial prison complex/ horrible , why are we locking up so many non violent offenders, especially for being drug addicts

Pointless endless wars in the middle east (im looking at you W also looking at Obama's drone collection)

Foreign aid/ why does America give away so much money while neglecting the people hurting the most within our own nation ( the left seems to be cool with this for some reason, you start saying we should stop paying all these other countries and they get upset, even though kids in flint Michigan are drinking mud water)

The patriot act ( thanks alot W... ass clown)

Environment (i actually do care about the environment, but i dont match up with the left on this, im not down to eliminate nuclear energy at this point, especially since it has 0 carbon emissions, also i dont agree with any sort of "carbon tax". the strategy of just making gas more expensive to reduce driving is harmful, some people are just trying to get by and get to work, why are you punishing working class people...)

Im pro abortion- your body your choice, thats for that person to figure out whats right, i can disagree with it morally after 7 months, but i wouldnt outlaw it. Post birth abortion would be murder though

im pro weed legalization- alcohol is worse anyway, this just feeds into the my issue with the prison industry/ drug war

Economy/Trade- Invest in America, stop outsourcing everything. (actually one thing i like about trump)

Pro gay marriage (not an issue anymore since its done, something i always thought the right was stupid to push back on as hard as they did, (granted so did the left) sorry Christians but you lost any say in the matter once it became extremely connected to the state and taxes, its not a religious act as much as it is a business transaction now)

Healthcare- i dont really care, ive got health insurance through my job now which is cool, I was kinda hype when Obama first announced his plan for free healthcare, was disappointed when the price ended up actually being more for me, dont really want to stay on this planet past 80 anyway, the day i cant wipe my own ass im clocking out regardless.

Immigration- please do it legally, you try hopping the border unchecked i dont care if you get deported sorry not sorry, thats the risk you took. (the lefts stance on decriminalizing illegal crossings i find stupid, beto talking about tearing down any physical barriers that are built lol..., promising healthcare for illegal aliens, this really just kinda pisses me off the same way the foreign aide pisses me off, Politicians pandering to people who aren't even citizens, democrats never used to have this kind of position on immigration, But then along came Trump talking about a wall, thats all it took lol)

Taxes- Kinda hate them, just let me keep what i make, don't mind the idea of flat tax honestly i think the idea of taxing the 1 percent at 75% -90% is absurd, if i was that loaded i would just fucking leave the country on my private jet if that happened, stop by my off shore bank account, i dont understand why some think these fat cats are just going to stay and give the country all their money... come on Bernie lol

i don't think anyone is legitimately "outraged" by this.

Oh, they will be. They will be.

Sounds like a right wing talking point.

The man's a genius I say. Simple the smartest man in the world :P

It will be both. More than both.

• "Straws? STRAWS?!?! Don't they know straws kill animals?" say the far far left
• "Trump is selling plastic CHINESE products to his AMERICAN supporters! This is an outrage" say the traditional anti-trump conservatives
• "Hahaha Trump is owning the liberals with this trolling" is what the Trump supporters will say
• "Hahaha Trump supporters are owning themselves with this trolling" say the liberals.

People need to acquaint themselves with the phrase "don't start nothing, won't be nothing". Or "making mountains out of molehills". If they don't stir shit up or make a big deal out of petty things, it won't actually be a big deal!

And humble, too!

I actually haven't heard anyone talking about straws or sharpies but here.