Declining Trump Merchandise Sales as Evidence of Waning Presidential Popularity
Source: Jessica Pishko. "Trump popularity: Even the Trump Superstore is giving up on this president.." August 14, 2026. slate.com
The Gist
A journalist visited a nearly-empty 'Trump Superstore' in Tennessee that's going out of business, and despite the owner's claims that he's not retiring, employees admitted the real reason is that nobody's buying Trump merchandise anymore. The author uses this specific, oddball business failure as a symbolic, real-world sign that Trump's popularity is dropping, backing this up with actual polling data showing only 35% approval.
Conclusion
The struggling business of the Tennessee 'Trump Superstore,' which is closing due to lack of customers, is a tangible, on-the-ground indicator that Trump's popularity is genuinely declining, contrary to narratives attributing the closure to unrelated factors like owner retirement.
Premises
- The store's own employee (Dan) directly stated the business is closing due to lack of customers, not retirement: 'We're not busy anymore.'
- The owner initially had an employee lie about his presence and gave evasive answers, suggesting an attempt to control the narrative around the closure.
- The store owner explicitly denied retiring or moving, contradicting the local news report and reinforcing that declining sales—not personal life changes—caused the closure.
- Foot traffic has visibly dropped from a peak of 86 customers in one day to an empty store on a Saturday afternoon, with remaining inventory marked down 50%.
- An employee at the pro-Trump store himself observed that Trump's popularity is 'dwindling' and that even Republicans are unhappy with their financial situations.
- Independent polling data (Economist tracker showing only 35% approval) corroborates the anecdotal observation of declining enthusiasm.
- Notable sales spikes were tied to major political/violent events (assassination attempts, Iran bombing), suggesting that baseline day-to-day interest in Trump paraphernalia—not tied to spectacle—has cratered.
Assumptions
- Sales of Trump-branded merchandise are a valid proxy for measuring genuine political popularity or enthusiasm for the president.
- The owner's and employees' statements are truthful and not self-serving in a different direction (e.g., minimizing business troubles for other reasons).
- A single struggling store in Tennessee is representative of broader national trends in Trump merchandise sales and support.
- Declining merchandise sales reflect declining political support rather than other market factors (e.g., saturation, oversupply, changing consumer novelty trends, economic conditions unrelated to Trump).
- The local news report attributing the closure to retirement was incomplete or misleading, and the author's on-the-ground reporting reveals the 'real' reason.