Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
'Trump That Bitch': A Look At All That Classy RNC Merch
By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Jul 20, 2016
Modified Jul 20, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Max Rivlin-Nadler / Gothamist
View all 28
By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Jul 20, 2016
Modified Jul 20, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
When you think about it, the Republican National Convention is just like a music festival—drunk people who paid too much money to be here listening to over-exposed celebrities playing their greatest hits (misogyny, hatred of the Other, guns for everyone). And just like a music festival, the Republican National Convention has a lot of tacky merch for sale.
"Make America Great Again" hats are surely the most popular item on the streets, but other slogans that have been flying off of folding tables include “Jail Hillary” or “Build That Wall.” Surely the strangest of the merchandise include the slogan “Trump That Bitch,” whose precise meaning eludes even the keenest of consumers.
Gabriel Xavi’e traveled up from Florida to sell Trump shirts. While on break from the military, he’s sold shirts from Maine to Houston to Colorado, always selling Trump merchandise. But business has been slow at the RNC, he tells Gothamist.
“The shirts were a lot more popular in the southern states in terms of sales,” Xavi’e said from behind his merch table on West 3rd street in downtown Cleveland. “Trump’s a fucking joke, honestly. I’m making money off him. He’s an entrepreneur, and I’m one too.”
Much of Xavi’e’s family is in the military and he doesn’t buy that Trump really cares about the armed forces. “There’s nothing he’s said that actually lays out how he’s going to help the military, he just says how much he loves it.”
Asked who he’d be voting for in November, Xavi’e replied cryptically, “No one. I’m screwed either way.” Good luck out there!
Tagged
donald trump
merch
souvenirs
original
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Max Rivlin-Nadler has been a contributor to Gothamist since 2013. He has also reported for the New York Times, NPR, and The Intercept. His years-long investigation into New York City's arcane civil forfeiture laws led to a series of reforms which altered a practice that had been taking millions from poor communities for decades. Recently, he brought back a surfing habit from a few years on the west coast, and would love to see you all out in the Rockaways.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Owl pellets and period equity: What's happening at NYC's public libraries this November
Also: Books!
By
Alec Hamilton
Published Oct 29, 2026 at 4:00 a.m. ET
How the Village Halloween Parade keeps its soul
A visit to the community-driven pre-parade puppet preparations.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
How the Village Halloween Parade keeps its soul
A visit to the community-driven pre-parade puppet preparations.
By
Hannah Frishberg
'You Can See Everything' … as long as you go to Staten Island
By
Sonia Rao
Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain
By
Sonia Rao
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
By
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .