A roadside "Trump Superstore" off Interstate 40 near Knoxville, Tennessee, is shutting down — and it's a shock for MAGA.
Despite a local news report attributing the shutdown to the 80-year-old owner's retirement, on-the-ground reporting suggests a simpler explanation – the MAGA merchandise business has dried up.
Owner Bill Hays vehemently denied a viral report that he was retiring and complained about a slew of phone calls from concerned friends and associates that resulted from the article, according to a report published by Slate.
“The girl that reported that did not know what she was talking about,” Hays said. “I don’t think she wanted to say we were closing for lack of business, but that’s why we’re closing.”
"That's why we're closing," agreed Dan, a part-time employee. "We're not busy anymore."
Dan recalled a single day with 86 visitors during what he called "the heyday," along with surges tied to news events, including the day after the first attempt on Trump's life, the day after Charlie Kirk's shooting, and the day after Trump bombed Iran.
By contrast, a Saturday afternoon visit this past weekend found an empty parking lot, no customers for a long stretch, and racks of picked-over inventory selling at 50 percent off.
Dan volunteered, unprompted, that the president "really is dwindling, dwindling, dwindling" in popularity, and pointed to everyday financial strain among Republican voters. "People really are saying, 'I don't know if I'm going to do a full load of groceries or I'm going to put my electric bill on a credit card this month,'" Dan said.
“Truly, people are thinking about that, and they’re Republicans," Dan added, "and the big kick is if they can get off of Fox News and get some real, real news.”
At that point, Hays gestured at his employee to cut it out, telling the Slate reporter that Dan's opinions had "nothing to do with the store whatsoever."
Trump's popularity has dwindled down into the 30s, according to polls, and that lack of enthusiasm was readily observable in the superstore's empty parking lot. Traffic to Truth Social, Trump's social media platform, has fallen sharply.
Hays himself downplayed any ideological motive for his business, insisting "it's all about making money." He noted several other Trump-branded stores remain open nearby.
The reporter encountered a mother-daughter pair who stopped by on their way through town to visit an elderly relative, and the 50-something mother bought a "God Guns Trump" sticker for her boyfriend.
But she seemed a bit sheepish about visiting the store.
“At least he wants to keep us safe,” the woman said, meaning Trump, and she clarified that she meant from "illegals."
“No one cares about our girls getting murdered – I have daughters,” she added, referring to viral reports promoted by anti-immigrant groups. "Well, you know."