What It's Like Selling Trump Paraphernalia — When You Don't Like Him

POPSUGAR Photography | Lisette Mejia
POPSUGAR Photography | Lisette Mejia

Imagine not liking Donald Trump but having to put on a t-shirt and hat that glorify him. Not only that, but you have to convince Trump supporters to buy those shirts and hats. For some people selling paraphernalia in Washington DC over inauguration weekend, they have to fake it — just like in politics.

"I'm just out here trying to make some money, make a living," said Natasha Ledbetter on Friday as she stood on a street a few blocks away from the Capitol. She and more than 20 colleagues drove from High Point in North Carolina to DC in buses for the weekend to sell Trump t-shirts, hats, and commemorative books for $10 each.

The 32-year-old didn't vote in the election but now wishes she had for Hillary Clinton. "I kinda blame myself a little bit," she said. Trump won North Carolina by less than 200,000 votes. "I didn't want to vote for either one of them at first, but I feel like if I would have voted for her, that would have made a little bit of a difference," said Ledbetter. "If I could go back, I would have voted for Hillary."

Ledbetter doesn't like how pompous Trump is, but it's her job to appeal to those who do. "Sometimes you gotta do some things you don't want to," she said. This isn't her first inauguration rodeo either — she sold paraphernalia at Obama's inauguration in 2012, and boy, can she tell the difference.

"Back in 2012 at Obama's inauguration, I had at least $3,000 in my pouch. Today, I have less than $200."

"Back in 2012 at Obama's inauguration, I had at least $3,000 in my pouch," she said. "Today, I have less than $200. That was an awesome experience versus this one."

She said the attitude of Trump supporters has made this one more difficult, too. They cut her off when she's speaking or ignore her completely. "I don't know if it's my tone or . . . " she trailed off before holding out her hands and looking down at the color of her black skin.

Other black people judge her, too. "Even my kind, they're looking and giving us the evil eye," she said. "I'm like, don't hate me for trying to work. I'm sure there are a lot of people out here working that don't want to be working, but that's what they have to do. You can't knock the hustle."

By the time we spoke around 3 p.m., Natasha had been working on her feet for 12 hours. She started selling at 3 a.m. The next day would be hard too — she was planning to sell hoodies, Hillary Clinton para, and Obama books at the Women's March.

"You got to at least make something happen," she said, hopeful that the Women's March would bring in more revenue. "Because this wasn't quite like what we expected."