A store dedicated to selling merchandise related to President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement has been forced to temporarily close its doors, with the owner blaming the war in Iran for the lack of footfall.
Lisa Fleischmann, owner of the Trump Truth Store + Hangout in Crystal Lake, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, announced her decision on Facebook with a note that read simply: “Sorry, the Trump Truth Store is closed until further notice.”
She has since explained to The Chicago Tribune that sales of her range of political T-shirts and memorabilia have fallen through the floor since the president launched his Operation Epic Fury airstrikes on Iran on February 28, killing off public appetite for red caps, flags, and “God, Guns, and Trump” shirts.
“Sales were really slow,” she said. “It all started with the war. It was dead as a door nail the minute that happened.
“I think [customers] are unsure what’s going on. Not everyone. But I think a majority of people are unsure what’s going on… And if you wear it, they feel someone might come up to them and ask them questions.”
Fleischmann had trailed the closure on Facebook for several days beforehand, saying she was “not feeling good” and considering turning her store into an online-only venture before finally pulling the plug, at least for the time being.
“I am not even making ½ of my rent,” she told well-wishers on the platform. “I never did this for the money but I don’t know how much longer I can last with paying for all the stuff.”
In another comment, she elaborated: “Lucky to get three cars a day since opening weekend. And most people don’t even buy a thing.
“I really did this for the people. I really thought that everyone wanted this, but no one’s coming, not even people that promised and promised that I need to open up a store. I just spent so much money on tables and chairs for the Trump bingo. I really don’t even feel like anyone’s even gonna come.”
Fleischmann only moved her store to Crystal Lake from Huntley in mid-January, having received an eviction notice from her previous landlord, who had accused her of violating building and sign ordinance rules by displaying a “a full-size inflatable replica” of the president in the parking lot.
The prop inspired duelling protests at the site – with a 12-year-old girl dressed as Trump among the customers sticking up for the store, according to the Tribune – but has since had to be thrown away due to wear-and-tear.
Initially sales were strong at the new site, Fleischmann said, only for the war to hit business, something she said had also happened a year ago when the president first announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs.
She believes the country’s anniversary celebrations this summer will inspire a fresh boom and that customers will band together to pay out for her range of all-American merchandise to show their support for the administration.
“They don’t want people in a hurting economy,” she said. “They want everyone to celebrate that we’re America and we’ve had 250 years of freedom. So it’s going to start getting better.”
Trump’s movement has been badly rattled since the strikes began, with its hawks and doves increasingly at each other’s throats.
Tucker Carlson lashed out at the president Monday over his expletive-laden threats against Tehran, having already called the war “absolutely disgusting and evil,” while the likes of Megyn Kelly and Marjorie Taylor Greene have derided Mark Levin over his cheerleading for the conflict.
Conservative influencer Carrie Prejean Boller has meanwhile called MAGA “deader than dead” and said she no longer recognizes Trump while the tensions were on display for all to see at CPAC in Texas last month.
Polling has consistently shown a lack of support for the war, with only the most hard-line conservatives unwavering in their support for the president.
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