The Bizarre Psychology Behind Trump Merchandise
Here’s why so many people go “whole hog” on the Trump merch.
America’s political scene is turning into a major divide, to the point that it’s affecting our collective ability to make friends, date, or even work in certain jobs. As a person who leans left, I can often tell when a person won’t agree with my beliefs.
I mean, it’s obvious.
A sizable portion of the conservative world as a strange obsession with Trump merchandise — buying it, collecting it, and of course, displaying it in (sometimes alarming) quantities. It’s also a mostly-conservative thing, too.
If you’re like me, you probably have taken time to ask what is going on with the merch. Why are red hats so damn popular? Here’s what I think is going on, speaking as an armchair (non-licensed, not professional) psychologist.
Tribalism
So, let’s start with the biggest reason why the Trump merch sells like hotcakes: the tribalism thing. Liberals and conservatives don’t see politics the same way, generally speaking.
Liberals are generally not as tribalistic as conservatives. We tend to view politics as a moral, ethical, and political issue. Conservatives do not just view their political stance as a political issue or an ethical issue.
For many conservatives, their politics is a part of who they are. Trump and the GOP put a lot of money into identity politics. The GOP platform often makes a point of making politics feel more like a community or an “us versus them” system.
When a liberal wears a Harris hat, it means they would have voted for Kamala. That’s it — nothing more, nothing less. A Harris hat says nothing about race, religion, or wealth demographic. It just says “I’d vote for her,” and that’s all it can say.
When a conservative wears a Trump hat, they’re saying they would vote for Trump, that they see themselves as aggrieved “hardworking Joe Everymans,” and that they are from a demographic linked to the GOP movement — often Christian, white, rural, or rich.
Trumpers wear Trump hats as a way of showing their pride in being part of what they think is the “winning group.” It’s their way of showing they’re “in the crowd” and a member of the GOP community.
I’ve often talked about how Trumpism acts a lot like a cult. Cults thrive when the cult’s community is tight-knit enough to ensure that people don’t want to leave. In community-heavy cults, wearing the right thing is rewarded with social inclusion and camaraderie.
That weird camaraderie is what makes a lot of Trumpers flaunt their hats.
Rebellion
Now let’s talk about the flipside of this: rebelling against the typical political scene in one’s area. A lot of leftists will wear Pride flags and gear in red areas just to show others that they’re not willing to bend to the local right-wing pressure.
Newsflash: right-wing people do this in majority-blue areas, too.
Sometimes, it’s not even about being the “one dot in a sea of red/blue,” either. Teenagers often will wear stuff to show others that they’re edgy, rebellious, or angry about something.
Misogyny and hate speech have long been solid staples in the “angry edgelord” world. Trump fits that bill. Is it that big a surprise to hear that Trump has been a booming success with young Gen Z men?
For angry Gen Z men who feel like they were jilted out of a decent future, wearing a red hat may be their way of raising a middle finger to the world. It’s their act of fashion rebellion, a way of saying, “Yeah, I voted to take your rights away. Cry harder.”
Money
Finally, there was one other reason I could think of that made sense with the hype behind Trump gear. This reason took me a while to think of, but was also the most obvious reason of all: money.
We’ve all heard rumors of people being paid to wear Trump merch. I also know of several people who will wear Trump merchandise when doing sales in deep-red parts of the country, specifically because they know people will be more likely to buy from them if they do.
Trump is a man who makes grifting easy. A lot of people in the right-wing community will blindly trust and support anyone who supports Trump. That’s why there are so many people who make money by just being right-wing influencers: the money is there.
Unsurprisingly, this means that Trump merch and Trump-supporting is popular among grifty, snake oil salesmen types. It’s an easy flex that will get trusting people to empty their pockets for you.
Liberals tend to be less trusting of their own. We tend to be more likely to pick one another apart and gatekeep — even when it’s not even a matter of money.
Do they actually like Trump? Maybe, maybe not, but regardless of where they sit on the political spectrum, grifters seem to agree: if you “go woke,” you’ll stay broke.
Maybe they think this shit will be collectable like Natzi flags.
Excellent points especially about the cultist tribalism. In this red area, I have noticed that Trump gear has almost completely replaced sports team and race car merchandise that people used to wear and display so happily. Anger is a potent, addictive drug that makes them feel more important than sports ever did. "I may be a nobody, but I've got a flag and a hat!"" seems to be the prevailing sentiment. Vendors have hopped on the bandwagon and are laughing all the way to the bank as they sell the rubes a sense of self importance. Unfortunately, at this point, there seems to be no way to offset the very effective manipulation of the ignorant and insecure.