You know how every era has its own style, right? Think about the bell bottoms of the ’70s or the power suits of the ’80s. Well, politics has its own version of that. And these days, it’s less about slick campaign slogans and more about making statements through fashion and, oddly enough, T-shirts.
Let’s start with the simple T-shirt. Political campaigns have taken this basic piece of clothing and turned it into a walking billboard, where you can find anything from a cringey Trump-Taylor Swift mashup to a fantastical lineup of candidates that include Elon Musk, Tulsi Gabbard, and RFK Jr. I mean, what?! The political merch world has become a free-for-all, where fantasy scenarios printed on fabric get just as much attention as actual policy ideas.
For some folks, a shirt that puts Trump in front of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” with a cheeky slogan like “Let’s Van Gogh Brandon” is just plain fun, while others see it as confusing, even ridiculous. It’s like political merch is trying to capture the lightning-speed trends of meme culture. Take it from Jerry, a Smithsonian curator who’s trying to figure out what these shirts will mean 100 years from now. Explaining a Trump-Taylor Swift mashup to future generations is going to take some serious historical footnotes!
But there’s also something deeper going on here. The popularity of these shirts tells us who’s getting buzz and who’s not. Harris, for instance, is selling more merch than Biden ever did. And over on the conservative side, it’s all Trump, all the time. Interestingly, T-shirt shops like Peter Chi’s Silver Lake T-shirts are happy to sell to both sides of the aisle because, as he put it, “Why would I lose out on that market?”
Now, let’s talk about someone else who’s not just making a statement with his words, but also with his wardrobe: JD Vance. Back in 2016, Vance was your typical Silicon Valley venture capitalist type, rocking open-collared shirts and slim-fit jackets that were all the rage among tech guys. But fast forward a few years, and he’s looking more like Trump’s clone, swapping out his tech-bro attire for the shiny red tie and boxy suit combo that’s become Trump’s trademark.
It’s almost like Vance’s fashion choices are part of an apology tour for his past criticisms of Trump. Remember when Vance called Trump a “moral disaster”? Yeah, he’s hoping you forgot that. These days, it’s clear he’s trying to fit in, sartorially speaking, with the MAGA crowd. In fact, during Republican primary debates, all the candidates except Nikki Haley were sporting those glossy red ties that scream “Trump loyalist.”
It’s not just Vance either. The whole Republican Party seems to be adopting the Trump aesthetic. And why not? In politics, image is everything. Trump’s gaudy suits and loud ties have come to symbolize power, wealth, and, more importantly, a connection to voters who don’t care about Ivy League traditions. In fact, Trump’s flashy style and Vance’s beard may communicate that they’re not part of the elite establishment — despite their wealth and influence.
And speaking of beards, Vance is breaking new ground in that department. He’s the first major-party candidate in over a century to sport facial hair. While Trump might hate beards, he doesn’t seem to mind Vance’s. In fact, Trump called him a “handsome son of a b****.” So, it seems that even though Vance has adopted most of Trump’s visual style, he’s found a way to keep a little bit of his own identity — facial hair and all.
At the end of the day, whether it’s T-shirts or red ties, what we wear says a lot about who we are and who we’re trying to appeal to. For Vance and Trump’s fans, the message is clear: loyalty is not just in what you say, but how you look. And for the rest of us, these trends are just another reminder that in politics, as in fashion, what goes around comes around — sometimes with a MAGA hat on top.
