The closure of the Bucks County shop — in a county often viewed as a bellwether in Pennsylvania presidential elections — reflects the challenge of sustaining politically themed retail once a candidate has reached his final term and an upcoming campaign no longer drives demand.
BENSALEM, Pa. — A Trump-themed merchandise shop in suburban Philadelphia that became a gathering spot for supporters of President Donald Trump announced it will close at the end of January, six years after opening, its owner said Tuesday.
Mike Domanico, who founded the Trump Store in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, in 2020, said the business has slowed since Trump’s reelection and that he is shifting focus to selling firearm targets and other items at gun shows. He described himself as semi-retired.
“The store has kind of run its course,” Domanico said in a phone interview. “You know, it’s been six years and the elections are over. Trump’s not gonna be in another election, even though he’ll be part of it.”
The shop, located in Bucks County — a county often considered a bellwether in Pennsylvania presidential elections — sells hats, flags, T-shirts and other Trump-branded items. It also carries Trump 2028 merchandise, despite the president being constitutionally prohibited from seeking a third term.
Trump has said it is “too bad” he cannot run again, though he has also distributed Trump 2028 souvenirs at the White House. Domanico was matter-of-fact about the appeal of the items.
“That’s just to get people riled up,” he said.
Dave Russell, 81, a longtime Trump supporter who visited the shop when it opened in 2020 to buy a Trump for Veterans hat, said the closure did not surprise him.
“Because most of the stuff they sell was to promote Trump. He’s already in this last term. You can’t do much more for him than he’s already gotten,” Russell said in a phone interview.
Trump narrowly carried Bucks County over Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, helping him win back Pennsylvania — a state he also won in 2016.
The store’s social media announcement of the closure drew comments from apparent Trump critics. Domanico said he no longer responds to them.
“No matter what the president does, they hate him no matter how good anything is,” he said.