8 'Make America Great Again'-style hats that prove this parody has gone too far
Make Napa Grape Again? Really?
Donald Trump's Make America Great Again hat made its debut in July 2015, in the small border town of Laredo, Texas. Back in those days, Trump wasn't much more than an easily mockable long shot in the Republican primary — he didn't even have a campaign store when he placed the cap atop his golden locks for the first time and set out to argue with reporters about Mexicans.
The rest is history. Today, the Make America Great Again hat is ubiquitous —the "hats" section of Trump's website features 17 different styles of headgear, ranging from the classic red or white styles to camo, blue, black, or even ivory with gold lettering. The manufacturing of the hats costs Trump a large chunk of his campaign money. You can reportedly even tell what mood the Republican nominee is in based on what color hat he's wearing.
And yet, perhaps even more popular than the Donald Trump hat itself are the Donald Trump hat parodies. You can Make Florida Great Again or Make America Grohl Again (if you're a Foo Fighters fan) or perhaps you simply want to Make America Love Again. Whatever you want to improve upon, there is probably a hat for it.
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In fact, this whole thing has gone a bit too far. Here are eight hats that prove this joke was dead and gone 14 months ago, back when it first reared its commanding head in the dusty Texan desert:
1. I Have a Very Good Brain hat
Hillary Clinton's campaign is selling hats that proclaim "I Have a Very Good Brain," a reference to Trump's assertion that he doesn't need a policy adviser because "I have a very good brain and I've said a lot of things." Which is indeed hilarious — although why you want to wear that quote in a Make America Great Again-stylized hat is a little more suspect.
2. Make Donald Drumf Again hat
This might be the best known Donald Trump parody hat of all. It was born from a John Oliver skit in which the comedian investigates the origins of the Trump family, tracing them back to the less-than-glamorous Drumpfs. The hat quickly sold out its entire initial run of 35,000 to people so painfully ironic that at least there's now an easy way to identify, and avoid them, from afar.
3. Make Metallica Great Again hat
Metallica (much like America, as some people will say) does not need to be made great "again." It is, was, and will always continue to be great. Next.
4. Make America Great Britain Again hat
We get it. You're British.
5. Make Napa Grape Again hat
This hat is just terrible.
6. Make Welding Great Again hat
What happened to welding? Was it ever great? If so, why did it stop? This hat is less a command than an invitation to be assaulted by questions.
7. Make America ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Again hat
In many ways, this hat exactly illustrates our point. At what point do you stop caring about making Napa grape again or improving upon '80s heavy metal bands and just shrug and go back to bed?
8. Make Mexico Great Again Also hat
This hat almost makes all the Make America hats okay. Best of all, it is not a parody; it was worn in earnest by Rudy Giuliani when he accompanied Donald Trump at an immigration policy rally. Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama also put this on his head and went out in public. But in the end, the fact that this hat is apparently not the best act of trolling ever and was actually worn as a serious policy move should give us all pause. Maybe this whole thing has gone too far. Maybe we don't need to make welding or the state of Georgia or even America itself great again. Maybe, just maybe, they were great from the start. Also.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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