Influencers and Trump supporters raced to release products featuring Trump with a bloodied face and raised fist just hours after Saturday’s deadly shooting and assassination.
By Sunday afternoon, right-wing activist Candace Owens and former Trump administration official Sebastian Gorka had Shirt released with the image. “For God and Country,” Owens’ shirt read. “President of the United States,” Gorka’s shirt read.
Neither Owens nor Gorka immediately responded to WIRED’s request for comment when asked whether they would donate the proceeds to Trump’s reelection campaign or to the families of those shot at the rally.
David Portnoy, founder and owner of Barstool Sports, link to a similar shirt on X is produced by the Southern student union brand Old Row, which Barstool acquired in 2016. “If you’re going to see the king, you better not miss it,” the post reads.
“You guys made money off the shooting?” one X user replied to Portnoy. By Sunday afternoon, Old Row appeared to have removed the shirt’s listing. The company did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request to confirm that the shirt had been removed following the backlash.
Popular YouTubers and influencers have also launched their own related products. The Hodge twins, a pair of influencers with over 3 million YouTube subscribers, host a podcast The Hodgetwinsreleased a T-shirt featuring an image that reads “FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!” on Saturday night.
“100% of the profits from this shirt will go to the Trump campaign,” they said. in a post.
Dozens of TikTok users also sold shirts with the infamous image on TikTok Shop over the weekend. Some hosted livestreams encouraging viewers to buy their shooting-related products as if they were hosting a televised shopping show.
“Oh look, another Trump t-shirt on sale today!! The 100th one,” one user wrote on a livestream where the t-shirts were being sold.
Richard “FaZe Banks” Bengston, CEO of esports brand FaZe Clan, appeared to endorse Trump shortly after the shooting, writing “TRUMP 2024” on X. Bengston has more than 5 million subscribers on YouTube. FaZe Clan then promoted red MAGA-style hats that read “MAKE FAZE GREAT AGAIN.” FaZe Clan did not immediately respond to a request for comment from WIRED asking whether the posts from Bengston and his company constituted an official endorsement.
The incident prompted some influencers to back Trump. “I pray for peace and prosperity in the world and I believe Trump gives us the best chance to do that,” YouTuber and professional boxer Jake Paul wrote on Saturday. “When you try to kill God’s angels and saviors in the world, it only makes them greater.” In April, Paul invited Trump to his upcoming fight with Mike Tyson. At the time, a Trump official told WIRED that the former president was “seriously” considering attending. Tyson was later injured and the war was called off.
Logan Paul, Jake’s brother, did not endorse Trump on Saturday, but wrote, “Surviving an assassination attempt by mere millimeters and then stopping security so you can raise your fist in defiance of death is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“Vote for the bulletproof outlaw,” said Tristan Tate, a misogynist influencer and alleged human trafficker. written on X on Saturday. Andrew Tate, Tristan’s brother, who is charged with human trafficking in Romania, also posted pro-Trump messages.
Less than two hours after Trump was photographed at a jail in Fulton County, Georgia, last year, His campaign released merchandise Although the campaign sent out numerous fundraising messages and emails following the shooting, they have yet to release any related products.
