A long time ago (Clinton Administration), when I worked as a law clerk for a judge, my brother and I decided we were using some free plane tickets to go to DC for his spring break (yes, always political geeks). I called and arranged for tickets for the White House tour. I promise on a thousand Bibles that I did not once imply, state, relay, whatever, to our Senator’s office that I was the judge. Perhaps they inferred inferred it due to the call coming from the courthouse. It wasn’t us and we’re not being cute here.

We showed up for our tour and waited in line. We presented our tickets. We were taken out of the line, actually worried that we’d done something wrong. Far from it, we were getting a personal tour by the Senator’s wife. We think a mistake was made and the office believed that the judge was coming for the tour. She didn’t care at all and seemed thrilled to take us around.

Ummm, that was cool. In part, because she was so cool. All three of us were laughing so hard during the tour that we were forced to ask at one point why she wasn’t the senator. She said she’d asked herself that quite a few times. Like I said, she was cool.

We saw things people on the tour didn’t see. No, nothing in the West Wing, but cool stuff anyway. We never saw a gift shop and I can confidently say that if they had a gift shop, we would’ve seen it because we saw everything else.

Turns out there is a White House gift shop. It was founded during the Truman Administration in 1946, but is now privately owned and has no connection to the White House or the federal government. Still, they sell all things Trump, and that stuff has to go to make room for Biden/Harris goods!

The sale is on both White Housey things you’d expect, but also on totally Trump like things like MAGA hats – and we don’t think those sales go to the U.S. government. According to Vanity Fair:

Sale season has reached the highest office in the land right in time for its current occupant’s transformation into a private citizen. TMZ alerted the world to the sales.  The White House Gift Shop is selling some Trump stuff for “50 % OFF SALE!!!!!!” It’s not all the Trump stuff that’s on sale at the gift shoppe, nor is it only Trump stuff on sale, but it is this stuff that is simply taking up space: an ornament set, some hats, some commemorative coins. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out of the Oval Office, my guy.

The ornaments are called “Icons of Success” (“Mission Accomplished” was surely already taken) and are going for $175—that is, half off. They’re from 2018, a lifetime ago, and commemorate the “North Korea peace talks in Singapore” and the “Dow at highest levels in U.S. history.” … 

There are also “Make America Great Again” hats on sale for the Trump supporters in your life too.

Like I said, we’re not sure when the gift shop went in, or who gets the profits from a “White House Coin,” we’re just damned sure who gets the profits from the “Mission Accomplished” and MAGA hats!

Get’em now, kids. We doubt they’ll be worth anything in a year.

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Peace, y’all
Jason
[email protected] and on Twitter @JasonMiciak