Fact check: Official MAGA hats are made in America; unofficial vendors may make them elsewhere
The claim: 'Make America Great Again' hats are made in China
Throughout his presidency, Trump has maintained a tough public stance on China, including the institution of significant tariffs on imports from the country, and his criticism has intensified following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which originated in Wuhan.
Dependence on China has become a hot-button topic for both parties and on social . As the parties' conventions began in August, claims that Trump's "Make America Great Again" hats are made in China started recirculating on Facebook.
One post, by the Facebook page "Trump Sucks," has a montage of four photos: Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.'s girlfriend and member of the Trump campaign, an text image that says, "Claims Democrats will send jobs back to China," a photo of a MAGA hat is below Guilfoyle, and next to it is text that says, "Made in China."
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Administrators for the page could not be reached for comment.
Claims that MAGA hats are made in China began circulating when Trump called for a boycott of Goodyear after the tire company announced its zero-tolerance policy for the apparel.
Are MAGA hats made in China?
Questions about the Trump campaign's symbolic red hats started — and were debunked — in 2015. The claims circulated again last year and have found new traction as the country heads toward Election Day.
In 2016, a closer look at the hats by the Associated Press found that some did not contain the fabric that the manufacturer says is always used.
Brian Kennedy, president of Cali Fame of Los Angeles, the company that makes the official hats, did not explain the discrepancy but said "all or virtually all" of the materials are from the United States.
In 2019, Kennedy told AP that the hats are made entirely in Carson, California.
USA TODAY has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment on the merchandise. But according to the official Trump merchandise website, the campaign's products are "proudly made in the USA."
While the "made in China" tags can be found on some Trump merchandise, those items are not official products of the campaign — they're from outside vendors.
A WCIV report of a Trump rally in Charleston, South Carolina, in March illustrated this distinction. Vendors at Trump rallies often sell merchandise, but most of these items are made outside the U.S. in countries like China, Honduras and Haiti.
Our rating: Partly false
The claim in the post has been rated PARTLY FALSE. Official Trump campaign merchandise is made in the United States, which the website explicitly states. However, there is a market of unofficial Trump merchandise that is made in other countries and sold online and at rallies.
Our fact-check sources:
Snopes, Oct. 7, 2015, Are Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” Caps Made in China?
Associated Press, July 23, 2019, Official Trump MAGA hats are made in the US
Associated Press, July 8, 2018, Were Trump’s ‘Made in USA’ hats really all made in USA?
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Trump campaign's official MAGA hats are made in America
