‘The Weeknight’: Trump’s ‘inflation crisis’ has come for his MAGA merch

A new Washington Sun analysis finds that Trump-branded merchandise has grown far more expensive than general inflation would explain, and MS NOW hosts used the findings on Tuesday's "The Weeknight" to argue that rising costs are now reaching the president's own product line. The hosts, Luke Russert, Symone Sanders Townsend and Michael Steele, treated it as a sign that economic strain is hitting even loyal customers.

The clearest example is the Make America Great Again hat. Shoppers paid $25 for it on Donald Trump's website in 2015, when he was a candidate, and the price is now $55. His Victory 45-47 fragrance has fared worse. It went on sale for $99 in February 2024, has been repriced upward two times, and currently sells for $249, an increase Russert put at 151. 52%.

Sanders Townsend suggested the president's allies assumed they would be shielded from the consequences of administration policies. Steele said Trump built his fortune by betting that supporters would purchase anything bearing his name, and that many rally-goers in MAGA gear may now be unable to afford it.

Asked for comment, the White House sent the Washington Sun to the Trump Organization, which, according to the outlet, never replied.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →