Ever since the assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump last Saturday, the tenor online has been understandably tense. Far-right extremists are sending out calls for violence, militias are recruiting, and everyone, it seems, has a conspiracy theory about what led to the shooting. But in the corners of the internet where people aren’t rallying behind Trump they’re getting really upset with a sticker company for throwing him support.
It started almost immediately after news of the shooting, when Sticker Mule, a direct-to-consumer company that allows people to order customized products, sent out an email to customers with the subject line “Trump 2024.” Signed by the company’s cofounder, Anthony Constantino, the email—and similar messages on X and Instagram—said that “the more people realize that kind-hearted, compassionate people support Trump, the sooner the hate will end.” It also said “BTW, this week, get one shirt for $4 (normally $19)” while suggesting customers buy a shirt backing the former president.
The email was not well received on social media.
On several platforms, customers posted messages indicating they were not pleased. “I’m like, ‘What? Did we need this?’” proffered one TikTokker. “All they had to say was nothing,” someone wrote in the sticker subreddit. Another claimed that the company was trying to “capitalize” on the event. There were skits, breakups, marketing advice. One X user replied to the company’s message, calling the email “condescending.” Some began referring to the ordeal as “StickerGate 2024.”
Putting aside the wisdom of sending the email to a bunch of customers who may not exactly want it, the dustup indicates a shift in the vibe in online political discussion in the US right now. Merchandising the moment is rampant, and when you’re a company like Sticker Mule, where people go to make merch for all sorts of political causes, sending an email like the one Constantino wrote puts you in the center of the ring.
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Of course, as The Verge pointed out this week, that may have been the point all along. As much as some Sticker Mule customers are vowing to stop using the company’s services, others are lining up to back it—defending it on X and Instagram. Meanwhile, other sticker companies, like StickerGiant, are posting videos about their company’s values, then replying “idk what you mean 😎” when users point out the timeliness of their posts. Effectively, the online battle over the companies that make stickers that people use to spread messages IRL has become a new front in the online discussion about the future of America.
Phew.
Political rhetoric has always been about catchphrases, memes, but as this week’s Republican National Convention hit its stride, it became more clear how much emphasis this year’s elections have placed on symbols and symbolism. Trump supporters have been wearing fake bandages to show support. The mayor of Paris swam the Seine to make a point about the river’s cleanliness ahead of the Olympics. Influencers are selling shirts showing Trump’s post-shooting fist pump.
Two weeks from now, StickerGate may very well look like the smallest tempest in the tiniest teapot, but right now it’s a bellwether. An indication that everyone, even people looking to put decals on their Stanley cups, know that the personal is more political than ever.
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