Trump gouges MAGA fans with 'tone-deaf' merchandise price increases: report

Donald Trump’s merchandise store is jacking up prices in a last-gasp attempt to gouge his MAGA fans as the clock ticks down on his political career.

According to a report from the Washington Sun, the inflation that has run rampant during the president’s second term is reflected in the price of the simple red Make America Great Again hat that is a staple among his fans.

And that is just the start.

The Sun reviewed dozens of Trump products sold across several digital storefronts run by the president’s political committees and private business ventures, and found substantial price hikes on several popular items.

The red MAGA hat sold for $25 on DonaldJTrump.com when Trump first ran for president in 2015. Just before he left the White House, the price had inched up to $30, according to a Wayback Machine capture from Jan. 6, 2021. Today it retails for $55 on the Trump Organization’s online storefront, a 120% increase.

U.S. inflation rose 41% over the same period, according to the Federal Reserve. Trump’s political website sells the same hat for $40, the Sun noted.

The “Victory 47” perfume has risen in price twice since February 2024, for a total increase of $150, the Sun reported. It cost $99 when it debuted on the Trump Sneakers website, then $199 after a redesign, and now sells for $249, the Sun reported.

The White House directed the Sun’s questions to the Trump Organization, which didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Todd Belt, a professor of political management at George Washington University, told the Sun a higher price tag is "irrelevant to most Trump supporters," who will pay to signal “allegiance to somebody who they think is tough, somebody who they think says the types of things that other people aren’t willing to say.”

Belt called the price increases “tone-deaf,” noting that 84% of voters say the economy is very important to their vote in the midterms, according to the Pew Research Center.

“That’s trying to get all the sales you can before you leave office. Donald Trump knows that his political career is on the clock, and he’s going to try to get as much out of it financially as he possibly can,” Belt said.