The American flag has been a top headliner lately, and Rush Limbaugh’s recent Betsy Ross Flag T-shirt is putting Old Glory back in the news cycle this week. As you recall, we delved deep into the U.S. flag merchandise debate when Nike pulled its 4th of July Betsy Ross Flag sneaker after Colin Kaepernick voiced his discontent with the shoe.
In response to Nike’s decision, radio host Rush Limbaugh decided to sell a Betsy Ross flag T-shirt to make the political statement that “there’s no reason to tear down the flag, there’s no reason to tear down our history, and, certainly, there’s no reason to tear down Betsy Ross,” according to a Fox & Friends newscast.
The T-shirts, which feature the Betsy Ross U.S. flag along with the phrase “Stand Up For Betsy Ross!” have been selling on Limbaugh’s website for $27. The radio host appeared on Fox & Friends this week and announced that he’d sold $3 million worth of the shirts. He also said that profits of the tees will go to Tunnels to Towers, an organization that helps survivors and first responders of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
https://twitter.com/scroarty/status/1155969762570067970?s=20
Those sales figures, if accurate, are nothing to scoff at, and they certainly prove that political merchandise continues to be a hot seller. Earlier this week, we reported on the big sales success of the Trump Campaign Store’s Trump Straws, which sold $500,000 worth in the first week. Part of why these items are flying off the metaphorical shelves has to do with people wanting to make political counterstatements with their merchandise purchases. The straws are a direct retaliation against the mostly liberal movement against plastic straws, while the Betsy Ross T-shirts are a direct retaliation against Nike’s move.
As the presidential race continues to heat up, we expect to see more of these apparel items popping up, and we have no doubt that they will continue to bring in big bucks for the enterprising entities who employ them.
