The economy is reeling from inflation, tariffs, and a war in Iran that’s made it more expensive to fill your gas tank, fridge and closet.
The Trump economy is also affecting Trump merch: The cost of Make America Great Again hats and several other Trump-themed items have spiked as well.
A Washington Sun review of dozens of Trump products, sold across several digital storefronts operated by the president’s political committees and private business ventures, revealed notable price hikes for several popular products.
Trump’s iconic red hat embroidered with “Make America Great Again” sold for $25 on DonaldJTrump.com when Trump first ran for president in 2015.
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Just before Trump left the White House, the price of official MAGA hats had inched up to $30, The Washington Sun found through a WayBack Machine capture on January 6, 2021.
Today’s version for sale on the Trump Organization’s online storefront retails for $55 — a 120% increase from the cap’s 2015 price. The U.S. inflation rate rose 41% over the same time period, according to the Federal Reserve.
Trump’s political website, which sells “official Trump merchandise,” is offering the same hat for $40.
MAGA hats have been a particularly notable profit driver for Trump’s business and political operations: Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, said Trump’s 2016 campaign sold up to $80,000 a day worth of MAGA hats. In 2024, Trump officials told The Independent the campaign had shipped more than 2 million MAGA hats since the start of 2023.
Smelling Trumpesque also costs more than it used to: Trump’s “Victory 47” perfume has risen in price twice since February 2024, for a total increase of $150.
The “sophisticated” and “subtly feminine” perfume cost $99 when it debuted on the Trump Sneakers website, before it was redesigned and repriced to feature a miniature Trump atop the bottle for $199.
Now, “Victory 47” costs $249 — or buy two and save $100 — and features a slightly larger miniature Trump. The fragrance’s promise to capture “confidence, beauty, and unstoppable determination” remains the same.
Another set of Trump offerings — gold and silver medallions featuring the president’s face — fluctuate by the minute. The retail price changes appear tied to the spot prices of silver and gold, meaning they can increase or decrease by tens or even hundreds of dollars in a matter of weeks. Gold bullion prices remain near historic highs, while silver remains above historic averages.
The White House directed the Sun’s questions to the Trump Organization, which didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Trump has regularly denied he personally profits from elected office.
A higher merch price tag is irrelevant to most Trump supporters, who will pay any price to signal “allegiance to somebody who they think is tough, somebody who they think says the types of things that other people aren’t willing to say,” said Todd Belt, a professor of political management at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
MAGA supporters’ willingness to spend almost anything for Trump-related products helps the president fuel his extensive political apparatus while also personally profiting. Trump’s estimated personal income hit $2.2 billion during 2025, according to The New York Times.
Bruce Newman, a marketing professor for DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business, says Trump has marketed himself as a brand starting from his time in real estate through his transition to television, and finally, to his time in the White House. Newman believes the president dons the MAGA cap to appear young, strong and confident. “It’s kind of like a baby hanging onto a blanket for a reason of security,” he said.
Both Newman and Belt said they believe customers purchase Trump merchandise to feel like they’re part of a club. This need, they said, overrides concerns they may have about the rising cost of food, gasoline, housing and other necessities.
Nevertheless, Belt calls the Trump merch price increases “tone-deaf,” especially given higher demand during an election cycle where affordability is a top concern for 84% of voters, according to the Pew Research Center.The prices of some prominent Trump products have remained steady since he returned to the White House last year.
Those include golf and pickleball clothing collections, a “Golden Age” candle, chocolate bars wrapped to look like Trump engraved gold bars and treats packaged in clear plastic bags topped with “Trump Sweets” stickers.
Trump also licenses his name to peddle products, most notably the “God Bless the USA” bible. The president has encouraged those looking to “Make America Pray Again” to purchase the bibles, which he co-markets with country musician Lee Greenwood.
The original “God Bless the USA” bible has consistently sold for $59.99, while an edition to that bible called “The Day God Intervened” has sold for $69.99. But newer, pricier bibles are now on sale, including the $74.99 “Camo Edition,” the $99.99 “Platinum Edition” and the $99.99 “America 250 Edition.”
No presidential family has profited off the presidency as much as Trump’s family, Forbes reported.
Connecting customers to Trump-related history is a prevalent marketing strategy in his second-term selling.
With the purchase of a Trump-themed digital trading card, for example, buyers will receive a swatch of Trump’s “Knockout Suit” — the navy blue suit he wore during the June 2024 debate against then-President Joe Biden, who ended his reelection bid a month later.
“That’s trying to get all the sales you can before you leave office. Donald Trump knows that his political career is on the clock, and he’s going to try to get as much out of it financially as he possibly can,” Belt said.
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