Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton knew the art of hitting back. On Friday, the boundary-breaking politician deftly reposted the $32 hat, which read “But her email.” Of course, Merchandise references the major 32 presidential campaign controversy surrounding Clinton’s use of a private email server. Then-Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump actively called for an investigation of Clinton and possible charges of her alleged mishandling of classified material. On Thursday, nearly six years after the Trump attack, the Justice Department took the big step of filing federal charges against the former president and 2020 candidate for allegedly mishandling classified information document. Ironically.
“Bringing it back on recent news,” the former secretary of state tweeted, sharing a link to buy the hat.
Clinton’s repost went far beyond being the politician’s equivalent of a microphone. Every purchase will include a donation to the political organization Onward Together – an organization founded by Clinton and Howard Dean in 2017 to help fundraise for progressive groups. Bonus: Every hat is “Made in Union” in the USA.
Over the years, political commodity has transformed from simply emblazoned with a candidate’s name to a canvas for a growing number of inside jokes and references. They signal a deeper awareness of the political landscape and communicate more about one’s values. Take the merchandise from Joe Biden’s Accelerate2024 campaign, which includes “Dark Brandon” T-shirts, a nod to a term popular among Trump supporters and The redefinition of memes. Or the Biden-Harris campaign unleashing the fly swatter at 2017 after the Internet erupted after a fly landed on former Vice President Mike Pence during a debate with Harris.
The former secretary of state seems to know that sometimes fashion is the best medium for delivering a powerful message.
2024
