‘Free Trump’ shirts are selling fast in Bucks County after the former president’s felony conviction

The Trump Store in Bucks County saw an influx of eager customers in the wake of President Donald Trump's guilty verdict.

by Aliya Schneider and video Gabe Coffey

Published May 31, 2024, 6:53 p.m. ET

Mike Domanico, co-owner of The Trump Store in Bensalem, is having a busy week.

Within hours of jurors in New York declaring former President Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony charges, Domanico had secured 50 “Free Trump” T-shirts in time for the upset customers he expected to pour in Friday.

That morning, he and his wife, Monica, who co-owns the store, prepared to open not only the store but also a mobile shop set up in front of Target World gun shop in Chalfont. Inside the main store, wedged into the Bensalem Plaza Shopping Center, the Domanicos had T-shirts and flags, tiny Trump shirts for children, pop-up greeting cards and even a locally made Trump gnome.

Between the two Bucks County outlets on Friday, there were only four “Free Trump” shirts left by 3 p.m.

Domanico, 54, is expecting more “political prisoner type of shirts” to come in by Monday or Tuesday.

“We expect to sell a lot of them because everybody’s so mad, it’s crazy,” he said.

There is no evidence that President Joe Biden orchestrated Trump’s prosecution to help himself get elected. Biden spoke out against Republicans’ distrust of the verdict Friday.

“It’s irresponsible for anyone to say this is rigged just because they don’t like the verdict,” he said, speaking at the White House. “Donald Trump was given every opportunity to defend himself. It was a state case, not a federal case, and it was heard by a jury of 12 citizens — 12 Americans. Twelve people like you.”

Still, Domanico is convinced that the jury’s guilty finding is a farce and so are many of the customers visiting his Bucks County shops.

Lisa von Deylen, manager of the Bensalem store, said it had been busy all day. People get particularly motivated to shop “when there are ridiculous things that happen to Trump,” like the Mar-a-lago raid or when Trump was indicted, she said, noting that along with the “Free Trump” shirts, merch that said “Never surrender” and “Wanted: Trump for President” were racking up sales.

“People get fed up,” said von Deylen, who turns 58 Saturday. “They get fired up and then they come out.”

While supporters have felt emboldened by Trump’s narrative that he’s a victim of the justice system, a March Politico and Ipsos survey found that a conviction could cost Trump more than one-third of independents, and a February NBC News poll showed that a conviction in the New York trial could swing 18- to 34-year-old voters from Trump to Biden. But those polls were based on a theoretical event, and the hush money trial has done little to shift a tight race so far.

Customers trickled into the Bensalem store throughout Friday afternoon, bonding over their distaste for Biden and reacting together to Newsmax playing on a TV above the cashier desk. Several customers said it was their first time at the store.

“Does that mean we’re finally going to be able to lock Hillary up?” von Deylen asked a customer.

Rachel Zoubroulis, 51, of Huntingdon Valley, came to the store for the first time on Friday to show her support for Trump after the verdict. Zoubroulis is a longtime Trump supporter, but the guilty verdict motivated her to donate to Trump’s campaign for the first time. Zoubroulis, a homemaker, part-time student, and mother of six, said her 18-year-old son was going to register to vote as a Republican Friday.

While other supporters on Friday said they felt the verdict would strengthen Trump’s chances in the election, Zoubroulis said she didn’t know what to expect.

“We’re just in such uncertain times,” she said. “Black is white, you know, up is down. It’s just all over the place. So I hope everybody sees this for what it is and it ends up being a very positive outcome for him. But at the end of the day, who knows?”

Staff writer Nick Vadala contributed to this article.