Practice What You Preach
Trump’s D.C. Hotel Sells Clothes Made in China, Vietnam, Peru During ‘Made In America’ Week
The gift shop at the Trump International in Washington D.C. has goods from virtually everywhere.
07.17.17 12:38 PM ET
President Donald Trump has declared this week Made in America week, a celebration of United States-based manufacturing and domestic economic consumption.
At the newest jewel in the Trump business empire, however, the gift shop is a marketplace drawn from a globalists’ dream.
Finding the gift shop in the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. is not easy. It’s tucked behind the hotel itself, around a Starbucks and past a table that alerts visitors that no firearms are permitted past that point. On Monday morning, no one was permitted in before 9 a.m.
It’s a small room and the first impression you get, upon entering, is that the proprietors are indeed imbued with a patriotic spirit. The “Trump Washington D.C.” — replete with the Trump family insignia — that hangs from the racks at the entrance is made in the US of A. It costs you $32 but, to be fair, it’s 100% cotton.
That’s basically the extent of the American-made products though. Walk a few feet further in and you will find a child’s bib on sale for $30 that is made in Peru; or a Trump golf hat for $32 that is made in Bangladesh; or a fleece pullover (yes, with “Trump” on it) for $50 that is made in Pakistan; or another type of golf hat for $32 that is made in China; or a Greg Norman golf pullover that goes for $80 that is made in Vietnam; or a kid’s t-shirt for $35 that is also made in Peru; or $15 worth of body butter that is made in Canada, which you could couple with the $15 Trump conditioner that is also made by our neighbors to the north.
The Daily Beast perused the racks but ultimately made no purchases.
Trump has attempted to put a wall up between himself, as president, and his former business, divesting from many of his investments and removing himself from any managerial role in operations. But those businesses, including the Trump International Hotel, are still being run by his family and that family still plays a very public role in promoting their father’s presidency. On Made in America week, however, they don’t seem to be on the same page.