Following President Trump’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis, subsequent hospital stay and reported release, the White House has wasted no time turning the issue into a marketable moment for the incumbent through merchandise.
The White House Gift Shop just added an item called “Historic Moments in History Coin” that commemorates “President Donald J. Trump [defeating] COVID with icons of his entire first term.”
The first 1,500 people who buy the $100 coin will also receive a “Presidential Blue PPE mask.”
The “Historic Moments in History” coin narrative series, designed by Anthony Giannini, started during the Trump presidency and is similar to a commemorative challenge coin, only it deals specifically with President Trump.
According to the White House Gift Shop website, this new design “features superhero motifs.”
The White House Gift Shop is selling a “Donald J. Trump defeats Covid” commemorative coin. You can pre-order it now for $100. https://t.co/aPQ0vNRHB3
— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) October 4, 2020
“Thus, I am pleased to announce the pre-release of the final commemorative art coin in the Historic Moments in History Series, a new commemorative that vividly shows President Trump’s historic presidential candidacy win, itself, from his descent on the elevator in Trump Tower, against a veritable army of superb Republican presidential candidates confluent with taunts, jeers, sneers by Media naysayers—to present day with design motifs of President Trump’s ascendance over and personal defeat of the deadly COVID pandemic virus,” Giannini said in a release on the White House Gift Shop website.
It’s interesting that the coins aren’t estimated to ship until Nov. 14, more than a week after election day. Obviously, if Trump wins re-election, the coins will maintain peak relevance. But, if he were to lose to Joe Biden, it would be odd timing for people to receive a commemorative coin from the White House, though the collector value would remain high.
And here’s where none other than Teen Vogue comes in with some pertinent information that sheds some light on the decision.
“It is worth noting that the White House Gift Shop isn’t directly affiliated with the White House itself,” Kara Nesvig wrote for the site. “It was created in 1946 as the White House Flower Fund by President Truman, but the Gift Shop is now privately owned.”
Teen Vogue also reported that 20 percent of the proceeds from the coin’s sales will be donated to Penn State’s Hershey Medical Center for COVID research and the school’s Cancer Institute.
