'How disgusting': RNC under fire for monetising Memorial Day with Trump merchandise sale
The Republican National Committee (RNC) has faced a backlash for attempting to monetise Memorial Day by sharing a sale for Donald Trump memorabilia on the veterans holiday.
A “HUGE” Memorial Day sale was advertised in a tweet, which linked to the Official Trump Campaign shop.
“#MemorialDay is an important day for Americans & Pres. Trump wanted to do something extra special for his best supporters, like YOU,” the tweet read.
Consumers could get 25 per cent off for Memorial Day only on memorabilia like “Make America Great Again” hats, beer koozies, and Trump/Pence flags.
Many businesses utilise Memorial Day as a chance to promote sales, but people were unimpressed with the RNC attempting to do the same in an effort to raise money for Mr Trump’s presidential campaign.
“Nothing says honouring our fallen heroes than using this day of remembrance to make a buck. Leave it to the GOP to besmirch this sacred day,” one critic wrote on Twitter.
Their thoughts were echoed by a majority of commenters who called the promotion “gross” and “disgraceful”.
“How disgusting. Doesn’t get much more anti-American than this,” another critic wrote.
Neither the Democratic National Committee (DNC) nor the Joe Biden campaign advertised Memorial Day sales for merchandise on Twitter.
#MemorialDay is an important day for Americans & Pres. Trump wanted to do something extra special for his best supporters, like YOU.
Until 11:59 PM TONIGHT, take 25% OFF your order at the ONLY Official Trump Campaign Store with code USA25.
Shop NOW: https://t.co/whks8RRVz7 pic.twitter.com/zl4iNlrSMb— GOP (@GOP)
There were other differences in how Mr Trump and the former vice president decided to celebrate Memorial Day on Monday.
The president attended two Memorial Day services and stuck to the teleprompter when giving a solemn speech about the lives lost in a bid to protect America while speaking at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland.
How disgusting. Doesn’t get much more anti-American than this.
— Matt Wittig🇺🇸🇵🇷🏳️🌈 (@MattWittig)
But he was not pictured wearing a mask at either ceremony, which starkly contrasted the images of Mr Biden wearing a mask when laying a wreath at a veterans memorial in Delaware.
Mr Trump also caught a backlash on the holiday for a storm of tweets throughout the day focused on attacking his rivals and threatening to pull the Republican National Convention from North Carolina in August.
One of the president’s tweets on Memorial Day targeted Democratic Representative Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, with the president calling Mr Lamb an “American fraud”. Mr Lamb served in the US Marine Corps for four years.
Read more
Seven charts that show the true scale of the UK coronavirus outbreak
‘They can blame it for everything’: What coronavirus means for Brexit
The Americans who think that coronavirus is a hoax
Do you need a face mask and where can you buy one?
UK lockdown: Can I see my family and friends under new rules?
