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Vice President Kamala Harris and her freshly-announced vice presidential pick Governor Tim Walz have wasted no time dropping a new line of campaign merchandise – and one particular item has already sent fans into a frenzy.
On Tuesday, hours after the Minnesota governor was unveiled as the Democratic presidential candidate’s running mate, the campaign released a camouflage hat with “HARRIS WALZ” embroidered across it in an eye-grabbing orange
Available for pre-order now, fans can snap up the camo cap for $40.
Social media users were quick to hail the merch drop, with several eagle-eyed fans likening it to singer Chappell Roan’s camo hat which features the phrase “MIDWEST PRINCESS.”
Making reference to the uncanny similarity, one X user posted: “Being able to wear a midwest princess Harris/Walz coded camo hat makes up for years of not being able to wear a red Phillies hat for fear of inadvertent MAGA promotion.”
“The branding coming out of this campaign is top tier,” added another.
Director of strategic planning for mobilization for the Democratic National Committee Hester Leyser said: “For all the midwest princesses out there - you asked, we answered.”
Roan herself couldn’t believe her eyes, posting: “Is this real?”
The new merch appears to be the latest move by the Harris campaign to capitalise off social media trends and appeal to Gen Z voters.
The Kamala HQ X profile’s background plays off the cover for Charli XCX’s latest hit album, brat, mimicking the blurry, black lower case font on a bright green background to say “kamala hq”.
But they aren’t alone in cashing in on merch.
This week, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump unveiled his upcoming book which MAGA fans can snap up for the princely sum of $99.
Titled Save America, the book claims to offer an “unparalleled look” into Trump’s time as the 45th president as well as his “vision for his next term”.
The front cover of the book, set for release on September 3, features the now-iconic photo of Trump in the aftermath of the assassination attempt.
The image shows the former president with his fist pumped in the air, blood streaming down his face, while surrounded by Secret Service agents and the star-spangled banner flying behind him. This photograph was taken moments after gunman Thomas Crooks opened fire on the rally stage, wounding Trump on his right ear and killing one rally-goer while injuring two others, before Crooks was shot and killed by a sniper.
Trump’s VP pick JD Vance meanwhile has not managed to use social media to his advantage, bizarrely joiningTikTok and promoting a hard seltzer in his first video.
Harris and Walz held their first rally together on Tuesday night, where the new VP pick took a swipe at Vance and poked fun at the wild online rumours about him: “I can’t wait to debate the guy ... if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up.”
