After the United States presidential election, there was a reported surge in the production of President Donald Trump paraphernalia in Russia. Weird? Not so much. Celebration in the form of Trump-themed products is expected: Right now, Russia likes Trump, and the country promotes whomever they love politically, in every sense. Like his wife Melania, who has been celebrated in her native Slovenia in the form of soap and cake, Trump has made some buyable cameos in Russia: Want a cute matryoshka, a Russian nesting doll, with a portrait of the 45th President? Just come to Moscow and throw down a handful of rubles. The same sort of merchandising power lies with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. While souvenir shopping last year, I saw a buff, half-in-the-buff Putin everywhere: He was shirtless on a horse in Matrix-like sunglasses, beaming on posters, magnets, plates, and vodka glasses. If someone wanted, they could decorate their house with all things Putin.
Vogue: Shopping for Trump souvenirs in Putin’s Russia
An employee polishes traditional Russian wooden nesting dolls, Matryoshka dolls, depicting US President-elect Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a gift shop in central Moscow on Jan. 16, 2017.
