Donald Trump’s campaign hat, which reads “Make America Great Again” has become the icon of a movement. So much so, that the US Ambassador to Somalia just gave the President of Somalia a version of the hat that reads “Make Somalia Great Again.” Seriously.
Now, at this point you might be asking, “But Matt, isn’t Somalia on the list for Donald Trump’s travel ban?” And you would be absolutely, 100 percent correct.
The seven countries that Trump’s executive order has tried to ban travel from (despite being repeatedly struck down in courts so far) are: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia. There’s something completely bizarre about the United States trying to ban travel from a particular nation and then handing them a cheeky hat with a pseudo-populist slogan identified by half of Americans as racist bullshit.
It almost feels like a hazing ritual that Trump made US ambassador to Somalia, Stephen Schwartz, do to prove that he could still be ambassador to the country. The Muslim travel ban has seen families treated like criminals, saved only at the last minute by courts ruling against Trump’s unconstitutional ban.
Some Somali refugees are now even fleeing the United States on foot for Canada. One Somali refugee who recently walked 21 hours in the harsh winter elements to get to Canada simply explained that “America is [a] problem now” when he arrived.
Last week, the Somali president, more commonly known as “Farmajo” in Somalia, said that he objected to the ban.
“It is part of my responsibility to talk about this issue with the U.S. government by conveying our message to the president and his government that the Somali people are really good, hard working people,” Farmajo said during a speech. “They raise their families in the United States. So we will see if he can change that policy and exclude Somalis from that list.”
But in true American fashion, “Make X Great Again” is getting co-opted and remixed to mean any number of things.
“Make Somalia Great Again,” hasn’t been trademarked yet, but there is a legitimate land grab for intellectual property rights involving Trump-related merchandise right now. An insurance company even filed for a trademark to Trumpcare™ recently.
Other recent applications for trademarks?
Make Sex Great Again
Make Aggie Football Great Again
Make Paper Great Again
Make The Jets Great Again
Make Mental Health Services Great Again
Make Radio Great Again
Make America Shoot Great Again
Make American Steak Great Again
Make Black Great Again
Make Christmas Great Again
Make Pinball Great Again
Make Pivots Great Again
Make Church Great Again
Make Oregon Great Again
Make Your Hair Great Again
Make Family Great Again
Make Retirement Great Again
Make Massage Great Again
Make Deer Breeding Great Again
Make Bass Fishing In America Great Again
Meow American Great Again
Make Your Engine Great Again
Make Social Media Great Again
Make Roofs Great Again
Make NASA Great Again
Make Carpet Great Again
Make the Ocean Great Again
Make Tennis Great Again
Let’s Make Soda Great Again
Make Drilling Great Again
Making Cigar’s [sic] Great Again
Make California Great Again
Make Congress Great Again
Make Shipping Great Again
Make Russia Great Again
Make Sleep Great Again
Make Insurance Great Again
These are all completely real. And it’s not even a full list of every “Great Again” trademark that’s been filed recently.
That stupid hat probably won’t “make Somalia great again,” but it will certainly remind people around the world that Americans can be both racist and tone-deaf at the same time.
