Trump merchandise sales are 80% below their peak at this year’s CPAC, vendor says
BRETT ARENDS’S ROI
Donald Trump is cruising toward the Republican nomination once again. But has the luster gone from his golden throne?
I’m outside Washington, D.C., at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, which is pretty much MAGA central these days. And the queen of Trump merchandise, a cheerful Texas businesswoman named Sany Dash, tells me that business so far is a fraction of what it used to be.
“It’s not the greatest, but we’re doing OK,” she says. If sales were at the levels seen in 2018 to 2020, she says, “we’d be doing about five times what we’re doing right now.”
Five times. That’s a big drop between then and now — 80% or more.
Dash, who launched USATrumpStore.com seven years ago, also used to have 22 physical stores around the country. Now she’s down to three.
Make America Glitter Again!
But sales are still better than a year ago, when they were “really slow,” she adds.
Still, it’s a two-day conference. Things may pick up yet.
Or maybe the market is simply saturated. How many golden Trump playing cards ($25), baseball caps ($30) and giant, glittery pinkie rings ($350) can the market absorb?
Even the most diehard MAGA fan may have all the golden Trump bobblehead dolls ($50) they can use.
But for Dash — who, incidentally, as an immigrant from India who describes herself as socially liberal, hardly fits the stereotype of a Make America Great Again supporter — business is still good. Even during last year’s lull, she sold $2.5 million in merch.
So the MAGA money train is still rolling.
Over at Liberty Cigars, John Adams — his real name — makes cigars named and themed after various presidents and other American historical figures.
I catch up with Adams, a businessman and history buff from Atlanta, on Thursday, the first day of the conference. He says that so far, Trump cigars have outsold all his other offerings, from Madison and Grant to Washington and Kennedy. All told, he sells about 200 cigars the first afternoon.
The Trump cigar, he says, “starts out with a ton of spice” but mellows as you smoke it. It can be yours for $14.
Adams launched his business 10 years ago. Sales are still growing by about 20% to 25% a year, he says.
I was surprised that there weren’t more merchandise sellers at the conference, but Dash explains that the cost keeps her competitors away. CPAC charges her $15,000 for her stall.
Maybe this is why sellers were so thin on the ground at this year’s event. I remember there being a booming business outside the Republican convention in 2016.
But as evidenced by a man decked out completely in MAGA gear — Trump cap, T-shirt, trousers and shoes — this can be a great business to be in. Catch the right wave, and you can print money.
News Related-
Russian court extends detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich until end of January
-
Russian court extends detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges
-
Israel's economy recovered from previous wars with Hamas, but this one might go longer, hit harder
-
Stock market today: Asian shares mixed ahead of US consumer confidence and price data
-
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Sister Wives' star Christine Brown says her kids' happy marriages inspired her leave Kody Brown
-
NBA fans roast Clippers for losing to Nuggets without Jokic, Murray, Gordon
-
Panthers-Senators brawl ends in 10-minute penalty for all players on ice
-
CNBC Daily Open: Is record Black Friday sales spike a false dawn?
-
Freed Israeli hostage describes deteriorating conditions while being held by Hamas
-
High stakes and glitz mark the vote in Paris for the 2030 World Expo host
-
Biden’s unworkable nursing rule will harm seniors
-
Jalen Hurts: We did what we needed to do when it mattered the most
-
LeBron James takes NBA all-time minutes lead in career-worst loss
-
Vikings' Kevin O'Connell to evaluate Josh Dobbs, path forward at QB