Irony alert: China-bashing Trump has a made-in-China clothing line

When Donald Trump says Chinese products just fall apart, he's presumably not talking about his own made-in-China clothing line, otherwise known as the "pinnacle of style and sophistication."

(Image credit: Corbis)

last updated 8 January 2015

The story: Donald Trump is "the nation's foremost China basher," says Justin Elliott at Salon. In recent years, the real estate tycoon, reality TV star, and GOP presidential prospect has slammed the Asian superpower for everything from undervaluing its currency to taking American manufacturing and jobs. Last year, Trump told Fox News that he buys American products over more affordable Chinese ones (calling the latter "crap" which falls apart "after a year and a half"). How surprising, then, that some of the garments in the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection sold at Macy's — which he bills as "the pinnacle of style" — are, according to their labels, "Made in China."

The reaction: "Oh, Department of Delicious Irony," says Mark Joyella at Mediaite. Maybe when Trump says Americans should stop buying made-in-China goods, he means that fans of the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection should buy only those items made in Mexico and Bangladesh. Wait, calling Trump a hypocrite for outsourcing to China is a "cheap shot," says Brian at Freedom's Lighthouse. As Trump pointed out in an interview with John King on CNN, he has no choice but to do business with China now that "so many products are not even made in the United States any longer." Hey, I like Trump, says Oliver Willis at his blog, but if he really believes "China is raping this country" — yes, he said that — he should do business elsewhere, even if it costs him a few bucks.