Made in [the USA]? FTC Accuses Pro-Trump Apparel Company of Switching Out Chinese Maker Labels

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has fined a US apparel company for changing the labels on its clothing from “Made in China” to “Made in the USA,” in line with the expectations of its pro-Trump consumer base.

According to a recent news release, the FTC slapped Utah-based clothes outlet Lions Not Sheep and its owner, Sean Whalen, with a $211,335 fine for refusing to comply with a May order to stop sewing on “phony Made in USA labels to clothing imported from China and other countries.”

“Under the order, Whalen and Lions Not Sheep must stop claiming that products are made in the United States unless they can show that the product’s final assembly or processing - and all significant processing - takes place here and that all or virtually all ingredients or components of the product are made and sourced here,” the FTC said.

The company’s merchandise is styled to appeal to the nationalistic and individualist sentiments of the American far-right, in particular supporters of former President Trump who railed against the dependence of US industry upon Chinese or foreign based production, and did much to initiate a “decoupling” of the US and Chinese economies. He has also cast so-called “American values” as being under attack.

The shirts and hats the Utah firm sells contain common right-wing symbols, such as guns, American flags, and the Gadsden Flag - a rattlesnake against a yellow background - which dates to the 18th century War of Independence but is today used by right-wing movements to symbolize “standing up” to “big government.” Slogans on some of their shirts say “free man,” the anti-Biden slogan “let’s go Brandon,” and “give violence a chance.”

“You have two choices: lead or be led,” the website says. “We are a generation of leaders. We are a generation of lions.” Each order includes a complimentary copy of the US Constitution.

Its name Lions Not Sheep is an allusion to a quote attributed to the 4th Century BCE Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great, who allegedly said that he feared an army of sheep led by a lion more than an army of lions led by sheep.

As early as the 2016 election campaign that brought Trump to power, his movement has had a problem of marketing goods made in China or other countries, such as Mexico, that Trump also characterized as stealing US jobs. That goes for many Trump-brand items as well, of which there are myriad, since Trump sees his name as his brand, including his iconic red “Make America Great Again” baseball caps.