Church converted into Trump megastore serves MAGA believers

“They just came in today and they’re already flying off the shelves,” Taylor, 74, said in front of a sea of ​​colorful political flags in front of a decommissioned church now filled with Trump merchandise.

Just days after President Joe Biden called supporters of the Republican nominee “trash,” Taylor says supporters are eager to wear clothing with the label after former President Donald Trump capitalized on the outrage by campaigning in a garbage truck and reflective gear. vest.

“They love it. They want more, by the end of tomorrow I’m sure all these new signs will be gone,” Taylor said, pointing to a stack of merchandise at the front of the store.

Trump Town in the US is also preparing for a revival of business because on Saturday the megastore of the same name will be located nearby in Roanoke County. Trump is moving away from traditional battleground states and making a rare visit to Virginia just days before the election to try to turn the state red for the first time in 20 years.

Rally-goers in Virginia will find all things Trump – a “Trump Moonie” figurine with the words “kiss my ass” depicting the former president showing off his butt, flags and T-shirts with a photo of Trump clenching his fist after his first assassination attempt, and a steel keychain testicles.

“You know, these are Trump balls, they weigh about a pound and a half, we sell a lot of them, I only have two left,” he said, taking a keychain from the shelf. “They came from Texas. I need to get more of them.”

“These are Trump eggs—they weigh about a pound and a half,” Whitey Taylor, owner of the Trump Town USA megastore in Boone’s Mill, Virginia, tells me. He says it’s one of the store’s most popular items. pic.twitter.com/6iMYDWFcZ6

— Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) November 2, 2024

The store is located in a former 100-year-old church in the center of a small town of about 250 people. Taylor, who lives in the building directly behind the store, opened it a few months before the 2020 election. Even after Trump’s election defeat, the store thrived as the former president faced mounting legal troubles. Sales grew with each new charge. One of the most popular items continues to be a coffee mug with a photo of Trump.

Taylor, who also owns the Franklin County Speedway, said his store became even more popular after Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.

“Things are going well every day, but during the first assassination attempt, we had over 2,500 people show up in the rain that day,” Whitey said. “If it weren’t for the rain, it’s impossible to say how many of us there would have been. There was a line out the door, people were coming all day.”

His inspiration for creating what eventually became the store came while he was at the Daytona Race Track in Florida with his son and began reading the Bible and praying to God for guidance.

“What immediately came to my mind was that he wanted me to help Donald Trump,” he said.

He eventually ordered 1,000 Trump T-shirts, explaining that his son begged him to order only 100 to begin with. “I said go big or go home, boy,” he said with a laugh. Taylor ended up selling all the T-shirts at one rally in Radford, Virginia in February 2016.

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Taylor takes a page from Trump’s legal book

Taylor, who is challenging incumbent Boones Mill Mayor Victor Connor in this year’s election, faces some legal troubles of his own. He was charged with assaulting three of his female employees and was arrested on Oct. 22 on four misdemeanor charges, three counts of simple assault and battery and one count of indecent exposure.

In response to the recent allegations, Taylor took a page from Trump’s playbook, calling the criminal charges “election interference in the form of fake news.”

“This is politically motivated. It was right before the election, obviously, one of the girls said you’re not going to be mayor and I said we’ll see,” Taylor said, declaring he was innocent.

Trump bets on late trip to Virginia

Despite the recent controversy, the store was busy Friday with customers stocking up on gear ahead of a Trump rally in Salem on Saturday, a town less than 20 miles up the road from the store.

Trump is taking what some call a risky gamble by campaigning in the final days of the election in a state that hasn’t supported a GOP presidential candidate since George W. Bush in 2004. Republican insiders are encouraged by recent polls that show Trump is eroding Vice President Kamala Harris’ lead in the state.

The state also has a popular Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, and a state legislature that is only narrowly controlled by Democrats.

“He’s going to turn things around – that’s only going to help when Trump comes,” Taylor said. “Tomorrow there will easily be 40,000 people trying to get into an arena that only seats 6,000,” he predicted on Friday.

“Virginia is for Trump lovers,” Taylor said with a laugh, pointing to one of the signs in the store’s front yard.

Shiloh Markwith, 18, who was shopping at the store with his mother Rhonda, said he thought Virginia was a “very big” target for Republicans.

“I think Trump thinks Virginia could flip, and frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised, looking at the polls,” said Markwith, who is attending college in Williamsburg and will be voting for Trump for the first time. “James City County is very competitive this year, and I think if it flips that and a couple more, it will definitely flip the state red.”

Mike Cunningham, 59, who bought a T-shirt and flag before Saturday’s rally, said he’s not entirely convinced Virginia will turn red this cycle.

“I think every state is in play right now, I mean I don’t trust the polls,” he said. “Until now they have been wrong in the elections every year, so they were very far from the truth. So I just want to be part of the process.”

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Taylor, who is a firm believer in the unproven theory that the 2020 election was stolen, has no doubt that Trump will win this cycle. However, even if the result on November 5 is not what he hopes for, he believes his store will still be open no matter what.

“This product will sell – he’s already left a legacy, whatever happens to Trump, he’s already left a legacy,” he said. “Whether he drops out of the race tomorrow or quits or dies or whatever happens, he’s not going to do it, but if he has to, he left a legacy.

“… In 20 years, this store will sell the same amount of products as it does today.”