"I never thought the mugshot could be topped" - Internet react to "SHOOTING MAKES ME STRONGER" Trump t-shirts after alleged assassination attempt

A new line of t-shirts with the slogan and a photo of former President Donald Trump's now-iconic fist gesture has taken the internet by storm.

This surge in popularity follows an alleged assassination attempt that has left supporters rallying behind the former President with renewed vigour on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Since the alleged attack, the tweets on X have gone viral. People wore t-shirts with the slogan "SHOOTING MAKES ME STRONGER" and a fist, symbolising resilience and determination. Netizens on X reacted to merchandise, with many disbelieving how fast they were made or could be topped.

"How the hell they make them this fast," another wrote.

"They made them fast asf," another on X.

"A true business man," one more on X.

"Damn they quick with it 😂," one said.

"We remain strong with Trump," one wrote.

There were several reactions that this merchant found challenging to comprehend and interpret —

"Nah those are just edits man lol," another on X.

"New Jersey is hilarious 😭", netizen said.

"The ink still wet on that bit 💀," another wrote.

"A historic picture from an unfortunate incident," the other said.

According to Times Now News, hours after an alleged attack on the former President, a Chinese store called Taobao started selling black t-shirts with a printed slogan. The owner said they listed the shirts immediately after hearing about the shooting and received over 2,000 orders from China and the USA, even though they hadn't printed the shirts yet.

"We put the T-shirts on Taobao as soon as we saw the news about the shooting, though we hadn't even printed them, and within three hours, we saw more than 2,000 orders from China and the US," said Lil Jinwei, the owner.

The tweets that surfaced online show a man wearing that T-shirt standing on the streets. Other tweets show multiple people wearing those T-shirts. One of the tweets also shows the image of the store that sells the T-shirt in China.

Donald Trump's fist expression evokes mixed emotions, showcasing peace and solidarity for his supporters and defiance against his opposition. He draws crowds of supporters and critics. The former president has been raising his fist for more than a decade now, but most popularly, he did it in 2017 at his inauguration as the 45th president of the United States.

Moreover, during his presidency, he often made this gesture. For example, during a presidential speech in October 2020, he clenched his fist when he arrived in Nashville.

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Iconic Trump fist t-shirts surge in popularity post-assassination attempt:

Former President Donald Trump was onstage speaking to the crowd, and in the middle of the speech, an alleged shooter shot multiple times, leaving the former President injured.

The fist from the Pennsylvania rally gained even more fame due to the alleged attack on him. The videos which surfaced online show that the former President was in the middle of the speech when he was allegedly shot. In the videos, multiple gunshots can be heard, and the former President can be seen getting to the ground while his guards escorted him. His right ear was gazed at by a bullet, narrowly escaping from fatal injury. According to CNN, the incident happened at 6:15 p.m. local time.

After 45 seconds of the attack, the former President was lifted from the ground. As his guards were cordoning him off the SUV, he took a moment, did his fist, and loudly uttered fight three times —

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Trump said after the alleged attack.

After the alleged attack, on July 14, 2024, former US Vice President Mike Pence wrote on X suggesting that America cannot tolerate any form of "political violence" and such attacks must be "condemned universally".

"Karen and I thank God that President Trump is safe... We are praying for his full recovery and for those lost and injured in this horrific attack. There is no place in America for political violence, and it must be universally condemned," Pence wrote on X.

Melania Trump shared her thoughts on X, calling the alleged attack a "heinous act." She further wrote, suggesting that she is grateful that her husband had a brave service agent who risked their lives.

The investigations are ongoing; according to Reuters News reports, the alleged attacker was identified as a 20-year-old man with an AR-15-style rifle. President Joe Biden has ordered a review of this.