Jo Anne Price, a 72-year-old Black woman, runs a store in Christiansburg, Virginia selling pro-Trump merchandise. Despite her strong support for Trump, she believes that racism is a made-up word and doesn’t apply to her if she doesn’t accept it. She sells items like a “WHITE PRIVILEGE CARD” by the register, claiming it has worked for her in avoiding tickets from law enforcement officers. Price is a former chairperson of the Montgomery County GOP and attributes mass incarceration of Black men to “Biden’s laws.”
Sebriam Vannoy, an older Black gentleman, is a staunch supporter of Trump despite the unusual nature of being Black and supporting Trump’s Make America Great Again movement. He believes that Trump is a president for all Americans, not just for one specific race. Vannoy supports Trump even after Biden announced he would not seek re-election, citing his belief that a woman, regardless of race, will never be elected president because of religious reasons related to the Garden of Eden.
Identity still matters to those within the Trump store despite merchandise explicitly rebuking liberal views on race, gender, and social justice. Rev. Merrit Turner believes in women’s equal rights to run for public office, even though she acknowledges America may not be ready for female leadership. Other customers like Dawson Ladd and Joe Shannon express their dissatisfaction with Kamala Harris and praise Trump for his support of the working class.
Supporters of Trump defend his controversial statements, with Price defending his questioning of Kamala Harris’s race and immigration comments. Price believes Trump has the right to free speech and his remarks were not racially motivated but focused on issues such as immigration laws. Price was once a Democrat but began questioning her party loyalty in the 80s over abortion, ultimately finding Trump to be a unifying force pulling Americans away from traditional party affiliations towards “Americanism.”
Price remains optimistic about the future and believes in the positive experiences to come once the current “rough period” passes. While most of her merchandise is pro-Trump, she still includes anti-Harris items within the store. Despite the contentious nature of her merchandise, Price remains steadfast in her support for Trump and his ability to unite Americans from different backgrounds.
