Jo Anne Price, a 72-year-old Black woman, proudly sports a button that reads, “You find it offensive. I find it funny. That’s why I’m happier than you.” Price runs a store in Christiansburg, Virginia, selling pro-Trump merchandise. Her shop is filled with items that reflect her staunch support for former President Donald Trump, including a “WHITE PRIVILEGE CARD” displayed by the register, which she says humorously suggests that showing it to a state trooper might get you out of a ticket.
Price, who has been lifting weights for 20 years and has her gray hair swept back, dismisses the concept of racism, calling it a “made-up word.” She argues that if she doesn’t accept racism, it doesn’t apply to her. Alongside her is Sebriam Vannoy, an older Black man in a camo outfit emblazoned with “Trump was right.” Vannoy also carries a “WHITE PRIVILEGE CARD” and claims it worked when he was stopped by a law enforcement officer, who laughed and let him go without issuing a ticket.
Both Price and Vannoy are unwavering in their support for Trump’s reelection bid, even though they acknowledge that being Black and a MAGA supporter is unusual. Price, a former chairperson of the Montgomery County GOP, dismisses criticism from other Black individuals who argue that Trump hasn’t done anything for Black people, asserting that Trump is a president for all Americans.
Price’s store is a testament to her beliefs, featuring merchandise that rebukes liberal views on race, gender, and social justice. Despite this, Price insists that Trump is a unifier, pulling people together under the banner of Americanism, beyond the confines of any political “plantation.”
Inside the store, customers like Rev. Merrie Turner, a White woman and ordained minister, and Joe Shannon, a White man who voted for Obama before switching to Trump, share their views. Turner expresses that while she supports women running for office, she doesn’t believe America is ready for female leadership, and certainly not someone like Kamala Harris. Shannon agrees, arguing that Harris lacks the experience and was only chosen because she is a woman.
One of the most striking aspects of Price’s and her customers’ support for Trump is their defense of his most controversial statements. Price doesn’t shy away from defending Trump’s questioning of Harris’s Black identity or his inflammatory remarks about immigrants. She interprets Trump’s comments not as racially charged but as concerns about law and safety, arguing that undocumented immigrants are “poisoning” American communities.
Price, who was once a Democrat, has shifted her loyalty due to issues like abortion and what she sees as Trump’s efforts to unify the country under American values. Looking forward, she is optimistic, believing that the country will emerge stronger after current challenges. In her store, pro-Trump items dominate, but anti-Harris merchandise is also present, catering to those who, as she says, “like a little bit of rum in their Coke.”
