$20 Trump Hats Sell for 5,000 Won in Temu... US Election Goods Market Dominated by China

Temu Releases Flood of Low-Priced Products Related to US Presidential Election

Cheap Chinese-made products are flooding the market for election campaign merchandise used to support U.S. presidential candidates.

On the 22nd (local time), Voice of America (VOA) raised the possibility that T-shirts and hats bearing slogans supporting former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris were made in China.

Campaign hat for the U.S. presidential election. [Image source: Voice of America broadcast capture]

According to the report, Chinese companies are flooding the U.S. election market with low-priced products priced at about one-tenth of the regular price through e-commerce platforms such as Temu.

Ben Waxman, founder of American Roots, a U.S. clothing company that has been producing election campaign T-shirts since 2016, pointed out, "A huge volume of products manufactured in China and other countries and distributed through online shopping malls like Amazon and Etsy are having a tremendous impact on the competitiveness and business of American companies." He said that election campaign T-shirts made in the U.S. sell for $15 each (about 20,000 won), while the same Chinese-made products can be purchased for $3 (about 4,000 won) on the Chinese e-commerce platform Temu.

Additionally, hats bearing the slogan "Make America Great Again," former President Trump's campaign slogan, were being sold on Temu for less than $4 (about 5,000 won), which is less than one-tenth of the official store price of $40 (about 55,000 won). Also, "Kamala Harris 2024" hats were sold on Temu for less than $3 (about 4,000 won). On Harris's official campaign website, these products cost $47 (about 65,000 won).

The broadcast analyzed that the increase in Chinese products is due to a combination of factors, including the high price competitiveness of Chinese companies and the fact that candidate campaigns do not apply intellectual property rights to control the products.

However, representatives from the U.S. textile industry pointed out, "It is very ironic that supporters express their support by using Chinese-made products when both presidential candidates take a tough stance on trade with China." Chris Tang, a professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management in Los Angeles, said, "The impact of Chinese-made products on the U.S. economy is not simply about a unilateral decrease in manufacturing jobs," adding that the U.S. should focus on developing manufacturing sectors centered on high value-added products in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.