President Donald Trump has repeatedly used Hurricane Harvey to showcase his campaign merchandise.
The president wore his $40 Trump-branded hats available for purchase on his reelection campaign website at two separate, highly photographed Harvey relief meetings. The White House even used photos from the events in their official press releases.
Trump has used his Harvey meetings as product placement for hats he sells for $40 two days in a row now… pic.twitter.com/EQcPkS8Yit
— Gabriel Snyder (@gabrielsnyder) August 27, 2017
Trump was photographed wearing one of his hats a third time Tuesday afternoon when he arrived in Texas.
For a third time, Trump is using Hurricane Harvey as product placement for a hat he sells for $40 pic.twitter.com/8Js7DEnbAs
— Gabriel Snyder (@gabrielsnyder) August 29, 2017
Trump wore the hat during a subsequent news conference with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in which he said, “We won’t say ‘congratulations.’ We don’t want to do that. We will congratulate each other when it’s all finished.”
Trump’s hat caught the eye of former director of the Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub Jr. Shaub, who resigned in July after butting heads with the administration over Trump’s failure to completely divest from his business empire.
The presser would be more convincing if POTUS weren't wearing merch touted as the hat “worn by 45thPresident-Elect Donald J. Trump, himself” pic.twitter.com/kbv0KFvaS9
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) August 29, 2017
Government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) also noticed Trump’s self-promotion and questioned the timing of it with Hurricane Harvey still bearing down on the Gulf Coast.
As @realDonaldTrump leaves for Texas, he makes sure he's carrying the hats he's been advertising–yours for just $40 on his campaign website pic.twitter.com/jCtexY3iOx
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) August 29, 2017
“There’s a difference between what is technically legal and what is ethically right. While there may not be a technical violation here, it is wholly inappropriate for the White House to distribute photo press releases of the president posing in campaign merchandise,” said CREW Communications Director Jordan Libowitz. “This is neither the time, nor the place.”
Wearing a campaign hat, @realDonaldTrump opens as if it was a campaign rally. Are we sure that it wasn't? https://t.co/Q95kx4Q4ix
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) August 29, 2017
As of Tuesday afternoon, the president has yet to tweet out any condolences to the victim of Harvey provide them with advice about how to access basic services and shelter. Trump’s reelection campaign, however, sent out emails to his supporters on Monday asking that they donate money to “CRUSH” their August goal and make this month their most profitable.
Inbox: Trump campaign seeks money to "CRUSH" its August fundraising goal, "make this our best month ever." No mention of #HurricaneHarvery pic.twitter.com/MNBxtSzK4G
— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) August 28, 2017
The fundraising email contains no mention of Harvey whatsoever.
This Trump hat drama comes around the three year anniversary of the conservative media meltdown over former President Obama’s tan suit.
It's been 3 years since Republicans lost their minds over Obama's tan suit pic.twitter.com/48H48dAjq1
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) August 27, 2017