The shopping website “Public Square” was established in 2022 as a “MAGA” equivalent to Amazon. It was originally intended to be a place where small- to medium-sizes businesses businesses could register their fealty to Donald Trump and Trumpism while advertising to that portion of consumers in the U.S. who ascribe to the same views. Businesses that sell on the site are required to check a box and sign a commitment to PublicSquare’s core principles, which include dog-whistle coded phrases like a belief in “the greatness of this nation,” a vow to protect “the family unit” and celebrate “the sanctity of life,” among other requirements.
The constraints of having to be hard-core MAGA to list your business on the site means some of Public Square’s offerings are a bit strange.
Products for sale on the site include items like “White Privilege Perfume” with a scent that’s “inspired by crisp 100 dollar bills.” (The description of it says, “That’s right. It smells like money. Lots of it,” and “White privilege is subtle, long lasting and will have everyone saying, ‘Mmm..what’s that’ That’s when you say, “It’s privilege. White Privilege.”) Other products include “Liberal Logic” anti-vaccination mugs, “Sani-Girl” pee funnels for girls as young as 3 years old that enable them to stand up and pee like a boy, “Roid Rage” fiber laxative gummies in the shape of hand grenades, and “‘drain the swamp’ Covfefe coffee.”
The site also enables people to find Trump-worshipping businesses in their own area, a feature that has unintentionally backfired by making it easy for people to find businesses they want to boycott. Once on the site, click the “Near me” icon, allow it to use your location (or enter your zip code), and it will show a map of your area with all the businesses in your area that have registered with the site:
Click on each box on the map to see the business it represents.
Unsurprisingly, chiropractor Greg Haitz’s Rimrock Wellness Center is on the map, and so is D-51 School Board President and Realtor Andrea Haitz’s real estate business at Bray Real Estate. Other businesses shown on the hard-core MAGA business map include Valley Vision Center on North Ave., Tech Support of Grand Junction on the Redlands, Jerry’s Outdoor Sports, Daniel Jones Insurance, Rocky Mountain Promotional Products and Apparel, Grand River Electric, King Homes Land and Realty, NextHome Virtual/The Maves Group, Megan Knows G.J. Realtor and Modern Classic Motors at 975 Independent Ave.
When it went public on July 20, 203, the price of Public Square’s stock was $21.11/share. On December 3, 2024, Public Square announced that Donald Trump, Jr. was joining its board. While the site briefly saw an jump in its stock price after that, on Friday, May 2, Public Square’s opening price was just $1.88/share.