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See the full story · 1 sources‘We’re not busy anymore,’ one employee of the Trump store admitted
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A large store in Tennessee that exclusively sells President Donald Trump merchandise is closing, and it is due to a lack of shoppers .
The store is located along Interstate 40 near Knoxville, Tennessee and its exterior has massive Trump billboard, banners, and a brick outhouse labelled the "Democrat Superstore" make clear what kind of goods the shop is slinging .
But now the shop is selling off its remaining inventory at a 50 percent discount, Slate reports. It's going out of business, and its owner, identified as William 'Bill" Hays, admitted the closure is due to lack of customers.
He made the admission to Slate while he was pushing back against another story, published in Knox News , that claimed he was shutting down because he was retiring and moving south.
"The girl that reported that did not know what she was talking about,” Hays reportedly said. “I’m not retiring, not moving down, but we own two condos in Naples... Yes, I am old and I am 80, and I do own condos and other businesses. I don’t know why the hell she said I was 80, anyway.”
He theorized that the reporter didn't want to "say we were closing for lack of business, but that’s why we’re closing,”
An employee at the shop, who identified himself to Slate as Dan, backed up Hays' version of events.
He noted the shop used to be popular, and during its busiest day had 86 people. Dan said business was good the day after conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk was shot and killed and the day after Trump launched his war on Iran.
Hays recalled the days following the assassination attempt on Trump in July 2024, saying it was "huge" for his business.
“People were waiting to walk in the door. Everybody was going ‘Choo Choo Trump train,’ and this whole building was moving," Hays said. "I mean, it was just, it was unbelievable.”
Dan was reportedly candid about why he thinks shoppers have stopped showing up. He admitted that Trump's popularity was "dwindling" and noted that a lot of people are struggling with their finances in the face of Trump's tariffs and high gas prices resulting from his war in Iran.
“People really are saying, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to do a full load of groceries or I’m going to put my electric bill on a credit card this month,’” he said.
Trump merchandise has been a huge business for the president and his supporters. His rallies are filled with people offering merchandise, and his own store has hundreds of items. It was previously reported that Trump’s online store brought in $8 million in 2024.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington reported in April that in the first 14 months of Trump’s second term, the Store sold at least 600 new products, costing a total of nearly $43,000.
“This is an unprecedented level of monetization of the presidency, even by the standards of Trump’s own first term,” the ethics group said.
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