this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2024
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/25269065

As surely as Donald Trump sought to cash in on his various criminal indictments, so the former president turned Republican presidential nominee began to sell merchandise commemorating his attempted assassination in Pennsylvania last weekend.

In Butler county on Saturday, a rooftop gunman wielding an AR-15-style rifle fired shots at the stage. Trump was wounded in one ear. One rally-goer was killed and two injured. The gunman, who was killed by a sniper, was discovered to have had an explosive device in his car.

Despite such traumatic events, 45Footwear, a company which has sold $399 golden Trump-branded sneakers, swiftly offered a new range of high-tops.

Rather more pricey than unofficial assassination merch churned out in China, the $299 white shoes were emblazoned with the US flag, an image of Trump with fist raised and face bloodied and the words “Fight Fight Fight” – his instant reaction to being shot.

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[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 77 points 1 month ago (1 children)

He started selling these on Monday. He didn’t call the wife of the victim until Tuesday.

[–] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 15 points 1 month ago

Gotta drop the knew kicks so she can buy a pair. How else will everyone know her husband caught Trump's souvenir?

[–] transientpunk@sh.itjust.works 53 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] barsquid@lemmy.world 38 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Lazy is definitely the right word to describe the designer. What horrid fascist bullshit does a backwards flag with five stars mean?

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 83 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

It's not backwards. It's actually correct vexillology.

Flags don't have a right-to-left, they have a hoist (the flagpole half) and a fly (the other half)

When rendered on print/screen, a flag has the hoist on the left and the fly on the right typically. HOWEVER, when rendered on moving objects, such as vehicles or clothing, the hoist is always at the part facing forward. Mentally draw a flagpole attached to it and figures walking in the same direction the shoe would be walking if someone is wearing it. Then it would make sense.

Here are some examples:

Soldier:

1000043659

Vehicle:

A better visualisation of how it would look:

Even in the UK:

As for the lack of stars and stripes, no clue. But it could easily just be aesthetic as it would look too crammed with a proper design.

Overall, it's still hideous. Lol.

[–] barsquid@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Oh, very interesting! Thank you. Of course that makes sense if you imagine the movement. My mistake.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Glad I can be of help! I'm not overly involved in US politics, but I vaguely recall there being some form of "black US Flag" going about which did have some horrible connotations, so I can sort of see how you jumped to this conclusion that it was some form of dogwhistle 🤣 I cannot find any meaning of a five starred flag either, so my best guess is aesthetic. I thought more would look nice, but maybe that would make the production cost a whopping 11% of $300 rather than 10% 🤣

[–] Nachorella@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 1 month ago

TIL, thanks for the informative comment!

[–] jol@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 1 month ago

Has no one ever looked at a pair of Nike shoes? It's the same.

[–] AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 month ago

Huh, TIL. Thanks for explaining this, I'm probably going to start noticing this everywhere now, and I'll think of you because of this.

[–] VulKendov@reddthat.com 9 points 1 month ago

The flag being backwards represents the direction he's taking the country in.

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago

I looked it up, this is the first image I found when searching for "cheap".

[–] QuentinCallaghan@sopuli.xyz 27 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] octopus_ink@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 month ago

Give it time and they'll be hucked like slivers of the "True Cross."

[–] whostosay@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Did they enlarge his arm/hands?

[–] pete_the_cat@lemmy.world 23 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Limiting orders to three per customer, by Thursday the site said the shoes were sold out, which would represent just under $2m raised.

These people will literally buy anything

[–] PineRune@lemmy.world 21 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Honestly, this and his other grifts just sound like a money laundering scheme. Sure, some real people buy and get the item for realism, but most of the stock never existed in the first place and was sold to fake customers.

[–] golli@lemm.ee 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I am actually not sure about that.

The USA are a huge country and Trump does have substantial following of fanatic fans. I can definitely see plenty of people wasting their money on this. And some more that buy them to speculate on an increase in value.

[–] JovialMicrobial@lemm.ee 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

How many pairs do you think will end up in private 'historical' collections of nazi paraphernalia?

[–] golli@lemm.ee 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Well, I think it's safe to assume that the number won't be zero.

[–] RedditWanderer@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

And by these people, you mean mostly corporations and foreign governments who have a way to give extra money to his campaign

[–] fahfahfahfah@lemmy.billiam.net 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Judging by eBay, a lot of this was probably scalpers

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

I hope they get caught holding the bag

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I'm surprised he isn't constantly churning out cheap shit like this and hocking it. Moron cultists seem like a great source of income.

[–] krashmo@lemmy.world 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)

the $299 white shoes were emblazoned with the US flag, an image of Trump with fist raised and face bloodied and the words “Fight Fight Fight” – his instant reaction to being shot.

I saw the video. His instant reaction was "let me get my shoes" not "fight fight fight".

[–] kablammy@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Maybe we misheard and he said "this lets me sell more shoes"

[–] krashmo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

A businessman to the bitter end

[–] Delusional@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

He can't pass up this wonderful opportunity to grift even more money from his dumbass followers.

Dude is the perfect conman. Always grifting morons.

[–] sunzu@kbin.run 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Merch is trash. Why do people feel compelled to pollute?

[–] NJSpradlin@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

These are both grifts AND money laundering from foreign election interfering governments (Russia, China, N Korea, etc).

[–] DogPeePoo@lemm.ee 9 points 1 month ago

The new “Air Bone Spurs” allow you to run away from crisis as well as logic, reason, and your money

[–] makyo@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

Yeah no there is no way I'm going to feel bad about making fun of him for getting shot at

[–] casmael@lemm.ee 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Does he have any shame? No obviously not none at all. So eager to sneak under the bar even when it’s basically on the floor. Fucking caterpillar ass lookin muthafucka

[–] whostosay@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I call him a worm, lower than ground level.

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

That's insulting to worms.

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

It's actually impressive how he has not even the slightest hint of a molecule of shame. Even someone like Mitch McConnell has a tiny shred of shame, rare as it is to see it.

[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

and then people receive death threats for making a joke about this...

[–] indomara@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Wait wait... So his supporters are on a witch hunt for anyone who made assassination jokes... but they can sell these sneakers?

Also the fact that these exist at all is ... just surreal. I don't understand. What is this timeline?

[–] 8bittech@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago
[–] kamenlady@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Nowadays, you never know if onion or not.

Sorry, I'm too sleepy good night lung m lemmy

[–] uebquauntbez@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

I thought sucking the last dollar out of own people is forbidden in capitalism? Isn't it all bout letting other countries people die for our wealth? Or is it just the last throes of it?

[–] enbyecho@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I'd rather have the $299 assassination attempt.