GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – President Trump has something that many previous commanders-in-chief haven’t had. A massive display of merchandise and memorabilia following every wake they create.
At most Trump rallies, you’ll be able to by merchandise right outside the gates. That was also the case on Friday as supporters rallied to hear President Trump speak during a stop in Green Bay.
But not all of the vendors you’ll meet are affiliated with the campaign – or even from the area.
Ray Collins organizes shirts on a table ahead of the Trump rally in Green Bay. (WTAQ/Casey Nelson)
“Everywhere Trump goes, we go,” said Ray Collins of North Carolina. “All rallies aren’t the same. It depends. Some you do good, some you do alright, some are just different.”
Collins said the traffic prior to the rally created a fairly mediocre turnaround for his pop-up shop. But more people tend to spend their money once the event ends.
“Most people don’t want to bring it in, so when you come out that’s when they get it to put in the car and stuff,” Collins said.
But just how much do some of these vendors travel just to deal hats, shirts, and stickers?
“I’ve been to 12 different states in the last about two weeks,” said Michael Falk of Missouri. “It’s definitely been interesting. We started in Illinois and went over to Nevada and we’re just kind of bouncing around to wherever they pop up. But people are definitely dedicated!”
Michael Falk stands with his merchandise. (WTAQ/Casey Nelson)
Falk works for a screen-printing company that creates their own shirts and takes them on the road. He says they actually sell to other vendors you might see set up right next door. On an average good day, Falk says they could pull in around $6,000.
The travel can be tiring, but the sellers say it’s always worth it. But that’s not just a monetary reward. Each seller we spoke with gave an honest endorsement for the candidate whose name graces their gear.
We asked what a normal day in the life of a traveling Trump-merchandise vendor might look like.
“This dude said – he said ‘usual days’! I don’t have usual days!” laughed Adrian Robinson of Florida. “I’ve been in different times zones, I’m in a different state every day.”
Robinson has plans to head to Pennsylvania to catch up with the president’s next scheduled stop on Saturday.
Adrian Robinson shows off his Trump spirit and apparel. (WTAQ/Casey Nelson)
“I actually get to talk to the people. I’ve been to 48 states! It’s not many people that are blessed to go to that many states. My everyday’s are not like anyone else’s everyday…These people are great people and they feel my energy and I feel their energy. It’s not what the news tells us that it is,” Robinson told WTAQ News. “When you actually get to go to these different states and these different cities, you see that everything is totally different than what the mainstream media proposes…We have more in common than we have separate. These people are not racist. If that what one spectrum wants to push – say that everybody is racist that’s a Trump supporter, so be it. But that’s not necessarily true.”
But not all of the vendors are national nomads.
One seller from Wausau says she had tons of inventory left over from a flea market that she was trying to clear out, while Justin Montello from Brookfield says it was just something to get him through the pandemic after losing his job as a karate instructor.
“I really like interacting with people. It’s a nice opportunity because we’ve been on lockdown for so long, it’s nice to get out and see other people and just interact with them,” Montello said. “When COVID hit, I got I kind of got stuck at home and I started to get kind of depressed. I was just thinking – I wonder if other people out there feel the way that I feel? So then I was like, I should put that on a T-shirt to let other people know that they’re not alone in this.”
Justin Montello of Brookfield talks with another vendor. (WTAQ/Casey Nelson)
All of his designs are original and printed out of his home. But sales, again, depend on the rally.
“They’ve been kind all over the board, but I do really well with the Trump stuff. I do a lot of anti-mask stuff. Everything I sell are things from my point of view,” Montello said.
None of them shared exactly what their plans are for post-election sales or what they’ll do after next week. But for now, they’re betting on Trump to keep their pockets filled.
