cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/25269065

As surely as Donald Trump sought to cash in on his various criminal indictments, so the former president turned Republican presidential nominee began to sell merchandise commemorating his attempted assassination in Pennsylvania last weekend.

In Butler county on Saturday, a rooftop gunman wielding an AR-15-style rifle fired shots at the stage. Trump was wounded in one ear. One rally-goer was killed and two injured. The gunman, who was killed by a sniper, was discovered to have had an explosive device in his car.

Despite such traumatic events, 45Footwear, a company which has sold $399 golden Trump-branded sneakers, swiftly offered a new range of high-tops.

Rather more pricey than unofficial assassination merch churned out in China, the $299 white shoes were emblazoned with the US flag, an image of Trump with fist raised and face bloodied and the words “Fight Fight Fight” – his instant reaction to being shot.

    • barsquid@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      39
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      4 months ago

      Lazy is definitely the right word to describe the designer. What horrid fascist bullshit does a backwards flag with five stars mean?

      • Flax@feddit.uk
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        82
        ·
        edit-2
        4 months ago

        It’s not backwards. It’s actually correct vexillology.

        Flags don’t have a right-to-left, they have a hoist (the flagpole half) and a fly (the other half)

        When rendered on print/screen, a flag has the hoist on the left and the fly on the right typically. HOWEVER, when rendered on moving objects, such as vehicles or clothing, the hoist is always at the part facing forward. Mentally draw a flagpole attached to it and figures walking in the same direction the shoe would be walking if someone is wearing it. Then it would make sense.

        Here are some examples:

        Soldier:

        1000043659

        Vehicle:

        A better visualisation of how it would look:

        Even in the UK:

        As for the lack of stars and stripes, no clue. But it could easily just be aesthetic as it would look too crammed with a proper design.

        Overall, it’s still hideous. Lol.

        • barsquid@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          20
          ·
          4 months ago

          Oh, very interesting! Thank you. Of course that makes sense if you imagine the movement. My mistake.

          • Flax@feddit.uk
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            6
            ·
            edit-2
            4 months ago

            Glad I can be of help! I’m not overly involved in US politics, but I vaguely recall there being some form of “black US Flag” going about which did have some horrible connotations, so I can sort of see how you jumped to this conclusion that it was some form of dogwhistle 🤣 I cannot find any meaning of a five starred flag either, so my best guess is aesthetic. I thought more would look nice, but maybe that would make the production cost a whopping 11% of $300 rather than 10% 🤣

        • AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          4 months ago

          Huh, TIL. Thanks for explaining this, I’m probably going to start noticing this everywhere now, and I’ll think of you because of this.

  • pete_the_cat@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    23
    ·
    4 months ago

    Limiting orders to three per customer, by Thursday the site said the shoes were sold out, which would represent just under $2m raised.

    These people will literally buy anything

    • PineRune@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      21
      ·
      4 months ago

      Honestly, this and his other grifts just sound like a money laundering scheme. Sure, some real people buy and get the item for realism, but most of the stock never existed in the first place and was sold to fake customers.

      • golli@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        4 months ago

        I am actually not sure about that.

        The USA are a huge country and Trump does have substantial following of fanatic fans. I can definitely see plenty of people wasting their money on this. And some more that buy them to speculate on an increase in value.

        • JovialMicrobial@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          4 months ago

          How many pairs do you think will end up in private ‘historical’ collections of nazi paraphernalia?

          • golli@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            5
            ·
            edit-2
            4 months ago

            Well, I think it’s safe to assume that the number won’t be zero.

    • RedditWanderer@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      4 months ago

      And by these people, you mean mostly corporations and foreign governments who have a way to give extra money to his campaign

    • samus12345@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      4 months ago

      I’m surprised he isn’t constantly churning out cheap shit like this and hocking it. Moron cultists seem like a great source of income.

  • krashmo@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    22
    ·
    4 months ago

    the $299 white shoes were emblazoned with the US flag, an image of Trump with fist raised and face bloodied and the words “Fight Fight Fight” – his instant reaction to being shot.

    I saw the video. His instant reaction was “let me get my shoes” not “fight fight fight”.

  • Delusional@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    20
    ·
    edit-2
    4 months ago

    He can’t pass up this wonderful opportunity to grift even more money from his dumbass followers.

    Dude is the perfect conman. Always grifting morons.

  • DogPeePoo@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    4 months ago

    The new “Air Bone Spurs” allow you to run away from crisis as well as logic, reason, and your money

  • makyo@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    4 months ago

    Yeah no there is no way I’m going to feel bad about making fun of him for getting shot at

  • casmael@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    4 months ago

    Does he have any shame? No obviously not none at all. So eager to sneak under the bar even when it’s basically on the floor. Fucking caterpillar ass lookin muthafucka

  • indomara@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    4 months ago

    Wait wait… So his supporters are on a witch hunt for anyone who made assassination jokes… but they can sell these sneakers?

    Also the fact that these exist at all is … just surreal. I don’t understand. What is this timeline?

  • uebquauntbez@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    4 months ago

    I thought sucking the last dollar out of own people is forbidden in capitalism? Isn’t it all bout letting other countries people die for our wealth? Or is it just the last throes of it?