The reaction was swift. Not the condemnation of a unsupportable act, but the image of beating the odds. In less than two day after the assassination attempt, sellers online are putting out T-shirts bearing images of Donald Trump punching the air winning…
The reaction was swift. Not the condemnation of a unsupportable act, but the image of beating the odds. In less than two day after the assassination attempt, sellers online are putting out T-shirts bearing images of Donald Trump punching the air winningly with his right fist after the shooting
Wherever you stand on the political divide, taking a life—or attempting to—is no way to settle differences. Like most people, we believe in the ballot, not the bullet. Political violence is never okay. Yet for some, a defiant Donald Trump or, as son Eric Trump touts, "the greatest president ever lived", after he was shot needs to be celebrated. According to Chinese news and social media, just hours (some cite two) after the shooting incident of last Saturday (or yesterday morning, our time), T-shirts with the now-widely seen image of a triumphant Mr Trump with blood streaking down his face and clenched fist up in the air, and surrounded by his security detail printed across the chest are now available online for those who love such macabre merchandise.
Vendors on Taobao were the first to peddle the tees. According to media reports, sales have been swift. One seller told South China Morning Post that she moved 2,000 pieces within three hours the T-shirt was sold online. There clearly is a market for products that can be seen to rally the seeming invincibility of the fearless former president. Some of the T-shirts are sloganeered with "Legends Never Die" (is that not pedestal-sitting?), "Shooting Makes Me Stronger" (would that goad other would-be snipers?), even "Bulletproof" (which is inaccurate since Mr Trump was hurt, even if superficially). The purported popularity of the tees augments the belief that many in the MAGA tribe either consider Mr Trump's escape from the clutches of death to be divine intervention or that he is, in fact, divine!
The powerful image, reported to be shot by Associated Press's Evan Vucci, is now considered to be "pivotal" in the reporting of the "assassination attempt" of the Republican party's presidential nominee. Shortly after the photos of Mr Trump showing that he cannot be subdued, including those by photographers for Getty Images and The New York Times, were shared online, supporters of the victim "quickly embraced" them, as per AP. This further fueled the conspiracy theory that the whole shooting was "staged". Mr Trump was campaigning in Butler, Pennsylvania, which is considered a key state in the 5 November election. In videos seen online, shots rang out, and Mr Trump stood down behind a lectern. When he emerged, his right ear appeared to be injured, leaving blood streaking down his face
We know China manufacturers can do things swiftly, but we did not guess that it could be as fast as a speeding bullet. Of course, these are not hard to produce T-shirts. They are not those from Balenciaga couture. No one is asking for fashion. They only one to make a statement. These are ready stocks of blanks tees. As long as the images (easily downloaded from the Internet) can be made on heat-transfer paper and heat-pressed onto the garment or printed directly onto it, the tees can be put out for sale just as quickly. There could be another reason for the haste. Chinese garment businesses have always been eager to trade with the US (look at Shein and Temu). If Trump wins the election in four months' time, there could be more tariffs during his term. Better do as much business as they can now. Or, celebrate his death-defying feat to win his favour in the future, greatly.
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