Trump rally shooting is a cash cow for dropshippers

News moves quickly after shocking events. But traffickers trying to make a quick buck can move even faster.

Just hours after a shooter attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a rally on Saturday, numerous products emblazoned with Trump’s image, bloodied and with his fist raised, were for sale on e-commerce platforms. A shirt in Temu with an image of the rally and the words “TRUMP BULLETPROOF” is on sale for $9.59. (One person died at the rally and two were seriously injured.) On Amazon, many of the best-selling men’s T-shirts are nearly identical: some version of an image of Trump at the rally, alongside phrases like “FIGHT!” and “NEVER GIVE IN”.

Consider the sellers on Etsy, the platform that focuses primarily on artisanal goods and independent goods. A store on the platform offers clothing with slogans and designs that otherwise seem innocent enough: sweatshirts with animated smiling ghosts for Halloween and camp-themed clothing. Also listed in the store are t-shirts that promote gay rights and indigenous identities. In recent days, however, the store has released several pro-Trump products, including several with images from the rally.

A search for “Trump” on Etsy returns a number of listings for other similar products—almost all featuring photos of product mockups, not actual physical items, suggesting that these are print-on-demand operations, ceaselessly producing whatever they want. people are looking for. And now, some people are apparently looking for bloody post-murder T-shirts of questionable taste.

Etsy did not immediately respond to questions about whether products with these images violate its rules on violent content.

Other sellers are seizing the moment in even more obvious ways: One brand on Amazon — creatively called Trump Fist Bumped Shirt — sells half a dozen shirts, all in the same style, ranging from $13 to $19. Amazon also hasn’t responded to questions about whether this type of product was allowed on their marketplace, which allows third-party vendors to sell their goods.

Any enterprising seller with two free minutes and a Redbubble account can get in on the action — and so far, the platforms seem willing to accommodate the merchandise. And if there’s money to be made, you can bet someone will try to make it.