
People attending the Republican National Convention are, by and large, as you would expect, not big fans of Hillary Clinton. Thatâs made clear from the convention stage, where sheâs called a criminal and a liar and a disciple of Satan. On the street, trucks and t-shirts bearing the slogan âHillary For Prison 2016" are everywhere.
But what about you? And by âyou,â of course, I mean an average RNC attendee, one preferably looking to express your disapproval for the Democratic nominee in the most gendered possible terms. Fear not: the street vendors surrounding the convention have you covered.
The streets surrounding the Quicken Loans Arena are clogged with vendors selling cut-rate RNC wares: âMake America Great Againâ pins, Trump/Pence t-shirts minus the unfortunately proctological logo, an unintentionally chilling mock photo of Trumpâs official presidential portrait, and an ocean of bedazzled visors bearing his name in every patriotic color, plus pink. The âHot Chicks For Trumpâ swag is especially popular, one vendor told me.

But it seems impossible that any of the vendors are making any real money, because there are simply so many of them. Most of them are black, and theyâre not interested in talking politics. âWork is work,â one guy told me. He was with his young son, selling visors that read âMake USA Great Again!!!â
Advertisement
âIâm not interested in politicsâ another vendor told me, a young black woman. âDoesnât make a difference to me.â
By contrast, the few vendors who are white are mostly voluble, middle-aged men who are happy to talk about their political views. Like this guy, who didnât want to provide his name, any more than any of the other vendors, but was happy to talk about his wares.

Advertisement
âI donât know about calling women bitches,â I told him cheerily, snapping the photo.
âThis one itâs all right,â he reassured me. âSheâs done more dirty than any normal woman.â
âOK!â I said, taking my leave.
âSorry!â he shouted after me, in a segue I didnât quite understand. âDone slammed my peter in the car door one too many times!â
Advertisement
Some of the anti-Clinton merch focuses on Trumpâs inevitable ascension to the White House, like this one, spotted by former Jezebel managing editor Erin Gloria Ryan:
And some of it merely makes it clear that sheâs the Devil incarnate. This t-shirt was being worn around by one of a squad of guys from InfoWars.
Advertisement

This oneâs been making the rounds for years and is enjoying an inevitable rebirth.

Advertisement
Thereâs also quite a bit that focuses on Bill Clintonâs extra-marital affairs, which are either Hillaryâs fault or else simply turn her into a worthy object of mockery.


Advertisement
Thereâs also this one, which is obviously meant to be insulting, although itâs a bit tough to say what the actual route to the insult is meant to be.

Itâs almost as though having breasts is bad or shameful, and exposing them is the ultimate embarrassment, a moment when the Emperor, at last, is seen to have no clothes, and also titties.
Advertisement
But surely all the satire is more sophisticated, complicated, and less nakedly woman-hating than that. Right?
Except where noted, images by Anna Merlan.