Trump 'Let's Go Brandon' figurines sold at U.S. military base spark policy change

A vendor recently sold wooden figurines of Donald Trump holding a sign saying “Let’s go Brandon” at a mall on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) in Anchorage, Alaska.

"The incident has prompted officials to update their guidance to vendors on what is — and isn’t — appropriate to sell on base," the Anchorage Daily News reported Tuesday. "The wooden figurines of a bear stylized to look like former President Donald Trump, with a shock of yellow hair and long red tie, stood about a foot tall and held small signs reading 'Let’s Go Brandon.' The phrase emerged this fall as a coded way of saying 'F--- Joe Biden,' spreading from a viral NASCAR clip to conservative meme."

Chris Ward, a spokesman for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, said the "bears" were sold by an independent vendor at the base's officially managed commercial facility. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is a Defense Department agency that oversees goods and services sold at U.S. military installations.

"On JBER, the bear figurine seller had a short-term contract with the venue, and by the time officials looked into the item, the merchant had already closed up shop, according to Ward," the newspaper reported. "The exchange did not receive any complaints about the objects, according to Ward, who did not respond to multiple requests for the business’s name, but he said the exchange would be modifying its policies to keep similar items from appearing."

Ward told the newspaper: “Once this product was identified, it was determined to be outside the established parameters for resale. Communication to incoming vendors will reflect the need to exclude products of this nature going forward."