Took my family to visit DC this past week. Enjoyed it a lot, with one exception.

[Tommy Carcetti]

This past week as part of our family vacation, I took my family to visit Washington, DC.

For anyone who's thinking of taking a trip there, it's well worth it.

In two days time, we saw the Air and Space Museum, Natural History Museum, National Archives and American History Museum. We also walked the National Mall, walk past the Capitol, Washington Monument, White House and World War II Memorial. (All of this is entirely free, in case you are wondering!)

We wanted to go all the way to the Lincoln Memorial but the hot weather and long walk put a bit of a damper on that.

And we got to travel the Washington Metro, one of the cleanest and most efficient public transportation systems in the country. (You feel like you're on a spaceship on those trains!)

All in all, it was a great time for everyone, with one exception.

Specifically, outside every museum, you'll see dozens and dozens of vendors. Mostly food trucks, but some people selling memorabilia as well.

And, no, that wasn't the problem.

What got me upset and angry was some of the memorabilia carts. They had all the normal DC merchandise--shirts, mugs, hats, snowglobes, etc.

But several of them were actually selling "Trump 2024" hats and merchandise. A couple also had the inane "Let's Go Brandon" merchandise as well.

Now, I didn't feel like making a scene. And I had no idea if the person working the cart actually had any sort of ownership interest in it, or was simply some poor minimum wage worker hired to man the register. So I didn't bother confronting anyone. (Honestly, the people manning the booths did not look like the prototypical Trump supporters, but who knows.)

But just seeing that Trump merchandise made my blood boil. Because I immediately thought back to the footage of January 6th. And throngs of thousands of Trumpists on that day, on that very same National Mall, all marching on the Capitol. All in a violent insurrection in an attempt to disrupt the peaceful and democratic transfer of power in this country. And all because of that one cursed man whose name was on those very hats and shirts.

Now, I'm no fool. I know it's a free country. I know we have the First Amendment. People will be allowed to sell what they want to sell, and we can't interfere with that.

But if people actually had any sort of sense or common decency, the name "Trump" or any attempt to merchandise on it would never be seen on the National Mall, knowing what happened on January 6th. It was sickening.

Now, the good news is, I saw thousands of people in my two days in DC. And of those thousands of people--with people selling Trump merch left and right--I saw a grand total of one person wearing Trump merch. One.

One guy--probably late teens to early 20s--was wearing a Trump 2024 hat. (He was also wearing a Fall Out Boy shirt, which if you wanted to convey the image of a badass, tough rock band, Fall Out Boy is about as far from that image as you can get. Unless he was intentionally trying to be ironic. Who knows...)

[FakeNoose]

1. I agree with you - political campaign merchandise should never be considered souvenirs

Before Chump showed his ugly head in Washington, I don't believe it ever was.

We need a national reset day, and renounce everything having to do with Chump or anyone in his family. The day he gets convicted in federal court might be a good time to discuss that.

[SouthernDem4ever]

9. That's every day in my house

I also renounce everyone in my own family having anything to do with Chump.

[onenote]

14. I've lived my entire life in the DC area and campaign merch has been sold by vendors for a long time

It didn't start with Trump. And it won't end with him.
But think of it this way -- that merch almost certainly isn't obtained from the campaign and the money doesn't flow back to the campaign.

[IronLionZion]

2. They sell it because idiots buy it

our side isn't known for buying commemorative spoons or plates or t-shirts or hats or even digital NFTs. That's why most of the merch is targeted towards the type of people who would go to his shitty hotel and pay $9 for a Bud Lite and $24 for the cheapest cocktail.

[jayschool2013]

12. Don't forget the Drumpf Tower

$27 MAGA Burger, complete with American cheese and special sauce.

(Pro tip: The special sauce is ketchup.)

The "Drumpf Mimosa" is $22. I'm guessing Minute Maid, Seven-UP and Ripple.

[Mr.Bill]

3. I would panhandle for a living

before I would work at a booth selling Trump merchandise. Probably make more money that way anyhow.

[Lonestarblue]

4. It's been awhile since I was in DC, but I don't remember vendors on the Mall.

Is this recent, or has it just been too long since I’ve been there? I actually think the Mall should be vendor free. It is almost a dorm of national park that should not be so commercial.

[Tommy Carcetti]

5. There's a long row of vendors and food trucks in front of every museum and attraction.

It's been years since I've been in DC as well and I don't remember them either then, but they're definitely there now.

[IronLionZion]

6. There are tons of vendors in tourist areas anywhere

so they are on the mall, by the museums/monuments, on the sidewalks near the white house, and other areas popular with tourists.

Plenty of bad food vendors too. The only thing I ever buy there is soft serve ice cream or bottled water.

[DownriverDem]

7. I know how you feel

When I drive by a house with a trump 2024 flag i want to stop and grab it. I just don't know how anyone can support him or the repubs. I had a hard time enjoying July 4th after what the SC did to our rights. I will fight them as long as I live.

[sir pball]

8. I've been living here for a year and a half, the sellers have a larger market than you think.

There's a whole lot of "Patriots" who'd.never go to NYC or Chicago, but they love to come to see their Capital; my metro stop is at the Zoo, super popular tourist spot, and I see chuds in RW clothing more or less daily — not explicit Trump stuff but 3, Molon Labe, Punisher, Blue Line Flag, &c. The TFG stuff is a no-brainer to sell, from a purely capitalist perspective; it's like catnip to those people.

[deurbano]

10. We're going to DC next week so my daughter can attend a National Council on Disability meeting

in person for the first time. I previously posted that (then) Speaker Pelosi appointed her to the Council last fall, but the meetings have been remote until now. (She was even sworn in remotely from Speaker Pelosi's SF office.) I'm going as her interpreter and her dad as her care provider.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217333275

It's going to be blazing hot (especially compared to San Francisco, which is currently 58 degrees!), but we will mainly be in the air-conditioned hotel (Willard) until the end, when we'll have some time for sightseeing. We've been to Washington quite a few times, but not recently, so we'd like to see the (new to us) National Museum of African American History and Culture if we can get passes.

What was the air quality like (given the Canadian fires)?

This is only the second time I've flown since the pandemic, and the first time was just three weeks ago. (Shameless, gratuitous brag: my younger daughter just graduated from UC Irvine, and was in the top 5% of her class, so she was invited to join the Phi Beta Kappa Society, and was allowed one guest for her induction ceremony... so I called dibs!) We'll be wearing masks on the plane and in the hotel.

[Trump supporters are the ultimate marks, and complete suckers for stupid (and hateful), overpriced "products"... so the "market" is quite happy to keep fleecing them.]

[Tommy Carcetti]

11. Air quality was okay. Not great, not terrible.

It was worse in Pennsylvania several days before.

Walked by the AA History Museum but didn't get a chance to go in. Apparently it is one of the few Smithsonian Museums that still requires time passes. American History and Natural History did not.

Air and Space did require time passes. Unfortunately, Air and Space is under renovation so only about half of the usual exhibits are on display. I did see the Wright Brothers Flyer, Freedom 7 (Alan Sheppard) and Apollo 11. I didn't see the X-1 (Chuck Yeager), Spirit of St. Louis or any of Amelia Earhart's planes.

[Evolve Dammit]

13. We went in April and I noticed that too. It sucks, but he will be the nominee, sadly. Over 70

million will vote for him, even if he gets convicted. They love their Orange Criminal Mob Boss Chosen One.

[TheBlackAdder]

15. My favorite city to visit. Every place looks to be an inch away on the map, until you walk it. 😂

.

Live the Metro. Know all of its stop.

.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

16. they sell some of that sh*t at the fair in Southern California. I avoid those booths