In January 2021, as Trump’s first term came to an ugly end, California marketing manager Michael Seifert decided he was fed up with U.S. businesses that practise what he calls “progressive authoritarian” values. He deplored Nike for its ads featuring NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee to protest police brutality; Disney for promoting diversity; and local coffee shops for supporting Black Lives Matter. So he made up a list of “pro-freedom,” “pro-family” businesses that he and his family would now patronize exclusively. The list turned into an app, and then a national shopping directory called PublicSquare that features only “freedom-friendly” retailers that promote American goods.
Republicans call this the “parallel economy,” a platform where conservatives can support their own. Or as Seifert put it on a 2022 podcast: “Stop giving money to people that hate you.”
“Meet your new favorite brands,” boasts PublicSquare’s website: brands such as Carnivore Snax (a “meat potato chip”), StopBox USA (handgun storage); Nobiesse (natural cleaning products – read that name again); Prepper gold and silver bars; and Promised Grounds coffee (“done the right way. The Christian way”). PublicSquare also operates its own baby-product brand, EveryLife.
By mid-2023, PublicSquare claimed a million users, and big money was circling. Donald Trump Jr. invested and brought along Wall Street banker Omeed Malik of 1789 Capital. They helped the company go public at $23 a share. Despite their help, the stock price of “America’s marketplace” closed the first day at $21.
Stop giving money to people that hate you.
- Public Square founder Michael Seifert
Since then, the stock price has fallen by as much as 90%. PublicSquare’s results for the nine months ending September 30, 2024, showed a loss of US$44 million on revenue of just $16 million. At the same time, the company fired 35% of its staff as part of a restructuring that Seifert claims will reset the company as an e-payments powerhouse. So far, MAGA’s economic clout has underperformed.
PublicSquare’s Trustpilot rating of 2.6 out of 5 (“Poor”) hints at other problems. Companies trying to advertise on the site say that it takes their money and delivers zilch. Worse, some patriots complained that their purchases actually originated from overseas. “I can only guess from where,” said one.
But by early December, word had spread that Donald Trump Jr. was joining the board of the “woke-free” retailer, after which PublicSquare’s shares spiked briefly. Trump Jr. is reportedly focused on building a “cancel-proof” economy. There is no denying the anti-woke agenda is gaining ground.
