Chinese e-commerce platforms, including Taobao and JD.com, swiftly capitalized on the aftermath of an attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump at a rally, offering T-shirts featuring images of the event for as little as $4.
Over the weekend, these retailers moved quickly to list the controversial T-shirts. Screenshots circulating online showed slogans like “Make America Great Again” and “Shooting Makes Me Stronger” emblazoned on the shirts, using various photos from the incident, including a notable shot by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci.
China’s manufacturing prowess and competitive e-commerce sector enabled small retailers to promptly turn trending events into marketable products. By Monday, however, many of these T-shirts had become harder to find through direct searches, possibly due to China’s stringent internet censorship and copyright concerns.
Despite searches for “Trump T-shirt” yielding no results on JD and limited availability on Taobao, hidden links and alternative search terms briefly surfaced related merchandise. The use of copyrighted images also raised concerns, with the Associated Press asserting rights over Vucci’s impactful photograph.
An AP journalist managed to order a T-shirt featuring the image, despite initial claims of unavailability, highlighting regulatory ambiguities in online sales. Meanwhile, another Taobao shop offered multiple T-shirt designs based on rally photos, some specifically depicting the assassination attempt, priced as low as 34.9 yuan ($4).
The nickname “Trump Jianguo,” referencing “build a country” in Chinese, surfaced online during Trump’s presidency, reflecting a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment of his policies perceived to benefit China.
Chinese entrepreneurs have historically capitalized on Trump-related merchandise, notably during the 2020 election when much of his campaign gear was sourced from wholesale markets in Yiwu, China.
Alibaba and JD.com, owners of Taobao and JD respectively, did not respond immediately to requests for comment on the availability and sale of these controversial T-shirts.
