MAGA’s Favorite Tailor Admits He Had to Hike Prices Over Trump Tariffs
The tailor to Republican lawmakers and a Trump aide has his suits made in China, Vietnam, and Thailand.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
The MAGAworld’s go-to tailor admitted that he had to raise his prices by nearly 70 percent because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to a report.
Nathaniel Rios, an evangelical pastor from Mississippi, has found a second life tailoring often tight-fitting and flashy suits for Washington, D.C.’s right-wing political elite, The Wall Street Journal reported.
His suits are sported by Republican lawmakers, MAGA super fans, and even a Trump aide. Some customers ask for their jacket’s lining to feature iconic photos of Trump—like his mug shot and near-miss assassination attempt.
However, even Rios has not been immune to Trump’s sweeping import taxes. His suits are made in China, Thailand, and Vietnam—which, until recently, had enabled him to sell them for around $300.
The trio of Asian manufacturing hubs were among the nations targeted most harshly by Trump’s tariffs in April. The tax on China was as high as 145 percent, although as of last week the president had dropped it down to 30 percent.
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After Trump’s tariffs hit, Rios began to sell his suits for upward of $500—a price hike of two-thirds, he told the Journal. Some customers have complained about it.
“It’s been a little painful,” he told the paper.
Nevertheless, his suits still seem to be a hit with the movers and shakers of MAGAnation.
Justin Caporale, a Trump staffer, told the Journal that he has a Rios suit with the Trump slogan “America First” stitched above the breast pocket and a print of Washington Crossing the Delaware on the inside.
“It just felt right,” he said.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has one with a photo of himself as the lining. “It makes it yours, you know,” he told the Journal.
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s suit has a photo of himself as the lining.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
One of the owners of the emergent MAGA hangout in D.C., Butterworth’s restaurant, has a Rios suit with a red, white, and blue lining that says “MAGA” and features multiple photos of Trump.
“It’s a show of appreciation,” the restauranteur, Raheem Kassam, said.
Rep. Greg Steube, a Florida Republican who has pushed to rename D.C.’s rail system after Trump, has a Rios suit lined with his state’s flag.
Rep. Greg Steube has a suit with Florida’s flag on the inside.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag
Rios, 47, originally took a job at Jos. A. Bank 15 years ago to support his family after he decided to start a church in Mississippi. Later, he launched his own tailor business, which became a hit in D.C. after he made a visit.
Now, he operates out of a row house near Capitol Hill. While Rios insisted that his business welcomes customers across the entire political spectrum, the Journal reported that a red MAGA-style cap in his living room reads, “TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Rios for comment.
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