Musk and Trump, a bond made in merch

Not agelong aft Trump’s announcement that Musk would articulation Vivek Ramaswamy arsenic co-leaders of a caller section of authorities efficiency, oregon DOGE, Musk took to his societal level X to fto his astir 204 cardinal followers know: “The merch volition beryllium fire.” (Actually helium wrote “the merch volition be,” followed by 3 occurrence emojis, but we are paraphrasing.)

Even earlier it was wide what signifier the DOGE would instrumentality and earlier immoderate unit members had been hired, Musk was reasoning astir the marque extensions. There person ever been authorities souvenirs, including White House M&M’s and a House of Representatives brooch, but this was taking the committedness of governmental buying to a caller level.

Merchandise has ever been a portion of Musk’s empire-building, conscionable arsenic it has been portion of Trump’s. Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, has a integer storefront that sells assorted T-shirts (among different offerings), notably the “Occupy Mars” benignant that Musk often wore portion stumping for Trump and assorted “Starship” logo looks, arsenic good arsenic different accessories. X has its ain shop, featuring black-on-black logo caps and T-shirts that look a batch similar the achromatic “Make America Great Again” caps that Musk favors.

Even the Boring Co., Musk’s passageway venture, has merch, astir famously a fragrance called Burnt Hair that was introduced successful 2022 for $100 a vessel with the tag enactment “the essence of repugnant desire.” The archetypal driblet of 10,000 bottles sold retired successful hours, according to quality reports. (It is besides presently sold out.) And Tesla has its ain apparel and manner collections, including a Foundation bid of tees that Musk besides wore connected the run trail.

Merch has been a hallmark of Trump’s vocation arsenic well. Not conscionable Trump company-branded merch similar ties and vino oregon Mar-a-Lago merch oregon run merch, but merch that furthers the communicative of his quest for power: sneakers with a representation of the “Trump Nation” reddish states, golden watches and superhero NFTs.

Like Musk, Trump besides has perfumes, including Fight Fight Fight cologne that comes successful a container featuring the celebrated representation of Trump with a raised fist. Like Trump, Musk besides has sneakers: SpaceX-branded lace-ups.

Melania Trump has her ain enactment of merch, which has included necklaces, Christmas histrion decorations, her caller memoir (the 1 Donald Trump plugged successful his triumph code successful the wee hours aft the election) and, astir recently, “On the Move,” a integer publication of photographs of her that costs $195.

That’s pricey, but successful the end, the gross — which is astir apt negligible successful the expansive strategy of things — is little important than the strategy down the products. Namely, what it reveals astir Trump’s and Musk’s quality to make and reenforce community, and however that relates astir to a cult of personality. It’s the halfway of the MAGA hat’s entreaty and wherefore the oversea of reddish astatine truthful galore Trump rallies was specified a striking image.

Merch, which is casual to discount arsenic inexpensive souvenirs, is simply a badge of rank successful a group, a awesome of belonging that tin beryllium worn retired into the satellite to make the quality of support. It’s some an entree constituent and a motion of fealty, a de facto azygous and ocular impervious that determination is simply a radical of radical virtually buying into a proposition. It’s a signifier of nationalist committedness that is particularly personal, due to the fact that it goes connected the body. One that some Musk and Trump cognize however to employ.

Indeed, if Musk — whose idiosyncratic benignant veers betwixt “Maverick”-esque aviator jackets and the achromatic suit jacket, jeans and gothic-font MAGA headdress — has a sartorial signature, it is his committedness to wearing his ain merch, peculiarly the T-shirts but besides the shoes and his Tesla Giga Texas loop buckles. He’s beauteous overmuch a walking advertisement, some for his brands and for the thought of dispensing with old-fashioned strictures astir what a businessman should oregon should not wear. Why discarded clip reasoning astir fancy tailoring erstwhile you tin propulsion connected a T-shirt that tells the satellite you are reasoning astir colonizing Mars?