T-Shirts of Trump Post-Assassination Attempt Flood China's Market

Images of former President Donald Trump, captured by AP photographer Evan Vucci, have quickly become a global sensation. The photos show Trump with a bleeding ear and his right hand clenched in a fist after an assassination attempt at a rally. These images are now being sold on T-shirts for as little as USD 4 on Chinese e-commerce platforms.

Representative image

Over the weekend, Chinese retailers swiftly capitalised on the images by offering them on Taobao and JD.com, China's largest e-commerce sites. One T-shirt read "Make America Great Again," while another stated "Shooting Makes Me Stronger," according to online screenshots. The shirts featured various photos from the event, including Vucci's iconic shot.

Chinese E-Commerce Platforms Capitalise on Trends

China's manufacturers are adept at quickly turning trending topics into products. The country serves as the world's factory floor, and its competitive e-commerce industry allows small retailers to exploit consumer trends rapidly. By Monday, however, many of these T-shirts were no longer easily found on JD.com and Taobao.

Searches for "Trump T-shirt" yielded no results on JD.com and only other Trump-related shirts on Taobao. Some shops provided hidden links to the merchandise when asked, and other shirts could be found using a Chinese nickname for Trump. The reason for hiding these shirts is unclear but may involve China's extensive censorship system that monitors online commerce.

Copyright Concerns and Hidden Links

The use of these images raises potential copyright issues. Lauren Easton, AP's vice president of corporate communications, stated, "The Associated Press is proud of Evan Vucci's photo and recognizes its impact. In addition, we reserve our rights to this powerful image." Despite this, an AP journalist managed to order a shirt for 61 yuan (USD 8) even though the original link was unavailable.

A customer service representative mentioned that the shirt violated regulations but provided a new link to order it. Another Taobao shop offered five different T-shirts based on photos from Saturday's rally when asked if they had any showing Trump being shot at. These were selling for 34.9 yuan (USD 4).

Trump Jianguo: A Nickname with Historical Context

For a time on Monday, searches including "Trump Jianguo" led to shops selling T-shirts with images from the rally. However, this became less effective as the day progressed. The nickname "Trump Jianguo" emerged during Trump's presidency and is a jibe suggesting some of his policies inadvertently helped China. Jianguo means "build a country" and was a popular name in China during the 1950s and 60s.

Chinese entrepreneurs have long profited from Trump's name. Much of his campaign merchandise was produced in Yiwu, China's wholesale centre, during the 2020 election. Alibaba, which owns Taobao, and JD.com did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The rapid appearance and subsequent disappearance of these T-shirts highlight the agility of Chinese e-commerce platforms in responding to global events. While some items remain available through hidden links or alternative search terms, the situation underscores the complex interplay between commerce and censorship in China.