Caps miss the ‘buy American’ message

One of the biggest cheers Donald Trump received from supporters watching his inaugural address was his call to ‘‘buy American and hire American’’. It was a moment rich in irony.

Many of those supporters were sporting Trump’s trademark red ‘‘Make America Great Again’’ baseball caps – which were made in China, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Some were horrified when they discovered that their hats were foreign-made.

Rob Walker, 44, who had driven to Washington, DC from Georgia with his wife Abby, 36, had stopped at a truck stop on the way to buy a cap.

‘‘Oh God, I hope it’s not made in China,’’ Abby said, flipping the cap over to check. She looked at its label. ‘‘China! Don’t tell anyone!’’

The Trump hats available for purchase on his official campaign website are made in the United States, and cost US$25-30 (NZ$3542), according to the label inside those caps. Street vendors in Washington yesterday were selling the foreign-made caps for US$20 (NZ$28).

Joshua Rojas, 25 and Alyssa Young, 28, had travelled from Texas to watch the inauguration. Young was wearing a pink ‘‘Make America Great Again’’ hat.

‘‘I loved it as soon as I saw it. I bought it right over there from one of the vendors for US$20,’’ she said.

So was it made in America? ‘‘Let me check.’’ She took off the hat to check the label. ‘‘Oh no,’’ she cried. ‘‘It’s made in Vietnam!’’

Austin Araco, 22, from Arkansas, was attending his first inauguration and was wearing a Trump hat.

‘‘I bought this hat the day he won the election,’’ said Araco. ‘‘From his website, of course. I wanted to make sure I supported his fund. I don’t want to buy a knockoff.’’