BURLINGTON — Piles of hats promising to “Make America Great Again” lined the seats of Scott Jefferson’s red Jeep. So did duffel bags filled with red, pink and blue Donald Trump shirts and hoodies.
Jefferson hauled the merchandise out of his car onto the street for sale. He had buttons commemorating the Republican presidential front runner, too.
One said “Bomb the Hell out of ISIS” while another read “Hot Chicks for Trump.” The buttons were one for $5 — or three for $10 — and they went fast.
A steady stream of Trump supporters visited Jefferson’s table Thursday on St. Paul Street, gearing up in the hours before The Donald’s evening speech at the Flynn Theater.
Jefferson, 44, of Cleveland, said he follows Trump around the country, selling merchandise at rallies. He has 15 contracted workers who help him sell, he said. On a good day, he can pull in a few thousand bucks off $40 hoodies and $20 shirts.
Trump often wears a “Make America Great Again” hat at rallies, and he sometimes throws hats out into the crowd after speeches.
His hats have become so iconic that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has created a version of their own for fundraising, which reads “Make Congress Blue Again.”
Other versions of the Trump hat have surfaced, including one critical of Trump that says “Make America Hate Again.”
Jefferson said the hats are his best-selling item, and a number of them dotted the crowd waiting to see Trump speak.
Jefferson and his crew will be in North Carolina tomorrow and Nevada on Sunday to sell at Trump speeches. He said it’s hard to make every event, but that he has a presence at most of them.
“He’ll be back in New Hampshire on Monday and I can’t make that,” Jefferson said. “The only way to follow Trump everywhere is if you have a private jet, like he does.”
Asked if he supports Trump, Jefferson answered “sorta kinda,” adding “I do like him, though he shoots from the hip.”
Jefferson said he visited Vermont last in 2008, when he was selling political merchandise. That year he was bipartisan, and sold gear featuring both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. He said he predicted Obama’s win based off the size and passion of the crowds he sold to.
He predicted that the sheer number of people at Trump rallies means the wealthy businessman will easily secure the nomination, and that he will be competitive in the general election.
“Hillary’s doing coffee shops and Trump’s doing arenas,” he said.
Then Jefferson turned to an eager customer, asked for their shirt size, and pulled out a thick wad of cash to make change.
