MILWAUKEE (CN) — It may not come as a surprise to even the most casual observer, but the Republican National Convention is an excellent merchandising opportunity.
Milling about the event grounds, which encompass about three city blocks in downtown Milwaukee between the Fiserv Forum and Baird Convention Center, it would be nearly impossible to walk 10 feet without seeing someone sporting Donald Trump gear.
The variety of merch runs the gamut — the former president’s face printed on T-shirts, trucker caps with his name bedazzled along the front and, more recently, a host of swag featuring his newly minted running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.
Merchandising has long been a pillar of the Trump campaign. His notorious red “Make America Great Again” caps have become an international symbol of the Queens real estate tycoon-turned-conservative-populist’s particular brand of politics.
And the opportunity to profit off the former president’s penchant for branding is clear here in Milwaukee. While many convention attendees surely brought some of their Trump swag from home, there’s plenty of new gear to pick up from the assortment of vendors that dot the venue.
One merch stand in front of the Baird Center is a veritable smorgasbord of Trump-themed goodies. It’s not just shirts and red hats: The vendors, a group of young men, hawk commemorative plates, bumper stickers and Trump-themed buttons for Crocs.
The stand is well-patronized. Under a tent shielding them from the midday sun Wednesday, a constant stream of conventiongoers wander up to peruse the assortment of Trump wares.
“We’re doing something,” one vendor told Courthouse News when asked if they were turning a profit. “It’s a good problem: We keep selling out.”
Anthony, another vendor at the same stall who gave only his first name, said he and his team weren’t just in town to work the convention. They’ve followed Trump all over the country, selling gear at his rallies.
The merch these vendors are selling has kept up with major events throughout the former president’s campaign. There are shirts, mugs and shot glasses emblazoned with Trump’s mugshot from Atlanta’s Fulton County jail — and, strategically positioned by the checkout table, a new set of t-shirts featuring the now-famous photo snapped by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci after last week’s assassination attempt on the candidate.
Anthony said they’d printed the Trump assassination attempt design in their van on the way to Milwaukee. Another new set of merchandise for people looking to support vice-presidential pick JD Vance was made in the hours after the former president announced the Ohio senator as his running mate.
The vendors were selling the Trump assassination shirts for $50. But that wasn’t too steep compared to other merch available to buy in the main convention venue at the Fiserv Forum.
“Our prices are like Walmart compared to them,” Anthony joked.
People were still willing to shell out for Trump gear not always because they are behind the former president politically, but because they want something with his name on it, he observed.
“Trump has his own fans,” he said.
Meanwhile, inside the Baird Center, the atmosphere was akin to that of a trade show, as a slew of companies and advocacy groups comingled with other merchandise salespeople.
Among those were representatives from Strive Asset Management, a financial services company founded by former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The firm offers investors asset management services, using their clients’ shareholder status to push back on how public companies employ environmental, social and governance factors in business decisions.
At a separate booth, the U.S. Concealed Carry Association offered information on its various firearms safety, survival and self-defense seminars. The Wisconsin-based organization also offers a tiered “self-defense liability insurance policy” that provides financial assistance to people challenging civil or criminal firearms charges on self-defense grounds.
The organization has around 825,000 members nationwide. And Beth Alcazar, an associate editor with the concealed carry group, told Courthouse News that conventiongoers had expressed particular interest in the organization’s safety courses.
“People are taking their own safety as their personal responsibility,” said Alcazar, who has authored a women’s handgun safety handbook and a children’s firearms curriculum. “They’re curious to know what kind of programs are out there to support them.”
It’s the first time the Concealed Carry Association has attended a Republican National Convention, Alcazar said, pointing out that the organization is local to the Milwaukee area. And while she didn’t stake out a formal position on candidate Trump’s firearms policy, she said her organization was “obviously” pro-Second Amendment.
“That is where we take our stance,” Alcazar said. “We’re very much involved in understanding what’s happening, not just locally, but across the nation.”
Visitors to the Concealed Carry Association booth could scan a QR code for a chance to win an AR-15. Alcazar pointed out that the lucky winner would have to coordinate with a certified firearms distributor or gunsmith back home to claim their prize.
Outside in the blazing heat Wednesday, Trump merchandise vendor Anthony appeared less concerned about policy issues and more about making ends meet. He told Courthouse News he had run a storefront in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at one point, but closed shop to travel the country with the former president’s campaign.
“I gave up my home for this,” he said, and it wasn’t always a given that he’d make money selling gear to Trump supporters. “I might not make a dime, or … the sky’s the limit.”