“They just arrived today and they’re already flying off the shelves,” Taylor, 74, said before a sea of ​​colorful political flags in front of a decommissioned church now filled with Trump merchandise.

Just days later President Joe Biden addressed the fans Describing the Republican candidate as “trash” has left fans eager to wear sportswear with labels bearing former President Donald Trump’s name, Taylor said capitalized Quench the anger by campaigning with a garbage truck and a reflective vest.

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“They love it. They want more; I’m sure by the end of tomorrow all these new signs will be gone,” Taylor said, pointing to a pile at the front of the store.

Trump Town USA is bracing for a boost in business as the megastore’s eponymous debut comes Saturday in nearby Roanoke County. Trump is veering away from traditional battleground states and making a rare visit to Virginia just days before the election, trying to turn the state red for the first time in 20 years.

Attendees of the Virginia rally will find anything and everything Trump-related — a “Moonie Trump” figurine showing the former president’s backside, flags and T-shirts with the words “kiss my ass” written on it, and a photo of Trump clenching his fist after the coup. the first assassination attempt and a keychain made of steel testicles.

“Here are Trump’s balls, you know, they weigh about a pound; We sell most of them; “Only two left,” he said, taking the keyring from the shelf. “They’re from Texas. I need to get more of them.”

“There are Trump’s balls over there; they weigh about a pound,” Whitey Taylor, owner of the Trump Town USA megastore in Boones Mill, VA, told me. He says it’s one of the store’s most popular items. pic.twitter.com/6iMYDWFcZ6

— Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) November 2, 2024

The store is located in a 100-year-old former church in the heart of the small town with a population of about 250 people. Taylor, who lives in the building directly behind the store, opened the store months before the 2020 election. Even after Trump’s election loss, the store thrived as the former president faced mounting legal troubles. Sales skyrocketed every new indictment. One of the most popular items continues to be the coffee mug featuring Trump’s mugshot.

Taylor, who also owns Franklin County Speedway, said his store became even more popular after Trump got rid of Butler in Pennsylvania. assassination attempt in July.

“Business is going well every day, but the first assassination attempt had over 2,500 people show up that day in the rain,” Whitey said. “It is impossible to know how many rains would have fallen if it had not rained. There was a line outside the door; People were coming all day.”

The inspiration for what would eventually become the store came while he was at the Daytona racetrack in Florida with his son when he began reading the Bible and praying to God for guidance.

“It immediately came to my mind that he wanted me to help Donald Trump,” he said.

He eventually ordered 1,000 Trump t-shirts, explaining that his son begged him to order only 100 to start. “I said either grow up or go home, son,” he said, laughing. Taylor sold out all the t-shirts at a single rally in Radford, Virginia, in February 2016.

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Taylor takes a page from Trump’s legal playbook

Taylor, who is challenging incumbent Boones Mill Mayor Victor Connor in this year’s election, also faces some legal trouble. HE was accused He was arrested for assaulting three female employees and was arrested on Oct. 22 on four misdemeanor charges, three counts of simple assault and battery, and one charge of indecent exposure.

In response to the latest accusations, Taylor is taking a page from Trump’s playbook and calling the accusations “election interference by fake news.”

“It’s for political purposes. Right before the election, obviously, one of the girls said you won’t be mayor, and I said we’ll see,” said Taylor, claiming his innocence.

Trump gambles with a late visit to Virginia

Despite the recent controversy, the store was packed Friday with customers stocking up on equipment ahead of Trump’s rally Saturday in Salem, a town less than 20 miles away from the store.

Trump is taking what some call a risky gamble by campaigning in the final days of the election in a state that has not supported a GOP candidate since. George W. Bush In 2004. Republican insiders encouraged I’m looking at the latest pollsThis shows that Trump has cut Vice President Kamala Harris’s lead in the state.

The state also has a popular Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, and a state legislature narrowly controlled by Democrats.

“He’s going to turn it around; that’s only going to help when Trump steps in,” Taylor said. “There will easily be 40,000 people there tomorrow trying to get into this arena that only holds 6,000 people,” he predicted Friday.

“Virginia is for Trump Lovers,” Taylor said with a laugh, pointing to one of the yard signs in front of the store.

Shiloh Markwith, 18, who was shopping at the store with her mother, Ronda, said she sees Virginia as a “huge” target for Republicans.

“Trump thinks Virginia could flip, and frankly looking at the polls, I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Markwith, a college student in Williamsburg who will be voting for Trump for the first time. “James City County is very, very competitive this year, and I think if it does that and a few more, it will definitely turn the state into the red.”

Mike Cunningham, 59, who purchased a T-shirt and flag ahead of Saturday’s rally, said he wasn’t fully convinced Virginia would go red this cycle.

“I don’t think any state is involved right now, so I don’t trust the polls,” he said. “They’ve been wrong in the elections every year so far, so they’ve come a long way. That’s why I want to be part of the process.”

Taylor, a firm believer in the unproven theory that the 2020 election was stolen, has no doubt that Trump will win this cycle. But even if the outcome isn’t what he hoped for on Nov. 5, he believes his store will still be in business no matter what.

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“This product is going to sell; he’s already left a legacy; no matter what happens to Trump, he’s already left a legacy,” he said. “No matter if he withdraws from the race tomorrow, leaves the race, dies or whatever happens, he won’t, but if he does, he has left a legacy.

“… This store will sell as many products in 20 years as it does today.”