Hit-or-Miss Cheap Make America Great Again (MAGA) Hats From Temu
By The Treasure-Sharer
My man and I have wanted Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats for years, but they are hard to get where we live, and are also out of our price range at the moment. I was super-excited to see some cheap knock-offs for crazy-low prices on Temu, so that we could have them to wear and take pictures with in the meantime, still intending to get authentic ones when we were more able to afford them.
Bearing the slogan that Donald J. Trump immortalized when he attached it to his campaigns for the United States presidency, MAGA hats carry so much history, symbolism, and meaning, that it's no surprise that the Chinese jumped on the opportunity to cash in, with low-cost imitations.
Despite the irony of buying America and Trump-supporting hats made in China, for those of us with limited funds, and/or limited access to authentic Make America Great Again hats, it's our way to be able to afford access to this show of support for Trump's presidency, and the MAGA movement.
I could be wrong, but I'm guessing that Donald Trump understands this too, as my man told me that Trump had trademarked the phrase "Make America Great Again," which gives him the right to go after people who use it without his permission... but why go after a product that helps spread his message for him, and allows people from different backgrounds and countries to show their support for Trump and his "Make America Great Again" movement?
There a lot of different styles and versions of the Make America Great Again hats available on the Temu platform, imitating the different versions of the MAGA hats available for sale on the Trump Store website (see the different original versions available here: https://www.trumpstore.com/collections/hats/).
We wanted the iconic, bright-red MAGA caps that had kicked off the movement, with "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN" written in big capital letters in white on the front.
Not only are the red Make America Great Again caps the most recognizable and symbolic, they are also the most meaningful, and American-colored. There's no better silent-but-loud statement-maker.
The Make America Great Again caps that my man and I ordered imitate the 45-47 MAGA Hat (which you can see the original version of here: https://www.trumpstore.com/product/45-47-maga-hat/).
The MAGA caps for sale from Temu look decently similar, but are not as flat on top, have velcro adjustable straps at the back (rather than snapback, like the original MAGA caps do), have a curved brim instead of a flat one, use smaller lettering to spell out "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN" on the front, and aren't uniformly-wide in the crown area, making them more suitable for narrower and smaller heads.
The authentic Make America Great Again hats for sale on the Trump store website look much more suitable for people with bigger heads, as the width is uniform in the crown area.
However, the original MAGA hats from the Trump store website, which are made in America, are mostly priced at $55 (at the time of writing this article), making it easy to see why there is such a profitable knock-off market for MAGA caps.
The premium price for MAGA hats is simply out of reach for some MAGA and Trump supporters, and I've also seen in the reviews that some Trump haters also buy MAGA hats as a joke, which would incentivize them to go for cheaper alternatives.
Like the original 45-47 MAGA hat, the fake Make America Great Again hat from Temu has "TRUMP" on the back above the adjustable area, has the American flag at the left temple, and has "45-47" embroidered at the right temple.
The hats are one-size-fits-all, but look like they fit a smaller range of head sizes than the original. I've even seen a reviewer saying that their size makes them more suitable for kids. See the MAGA hat size dimensions in the image displayed on the side.
I didn't like that most of the fake MAGA hats sold on Temu were made with polyester, and that I'd read in the reviews that some arrived squashed or dented.
I couldn't resist at least trying them though, when I saw a super-good price for two red cotton MAGA hats on sale on Temu. I ordered the pair, and hoped for the best. My man and I both really wanted them to work out, so that we could wear them proudly.
It was so disappointing when the MAGA caps finally arrived with the rest of our order, with no covering or packaging to protect them -- not even a separate plastic bag of their own. That was very surprising, since most items from Temu come packaged and with a barcode, but these just came with one cap on top of the other, without even a barcode.
Needless to say, they arrived deformed and dented, with deep creases in several places. I had been prepared for that potentially happening, since I'd read about that happening from other reviews. I was just a little shocked that no effort had been made to protect either of the hats whatsoever -- not even the bare minimum. See below for images of one of the dented MAGA hats we received from Temu, from different angles.
My man is a perfectionist, so he was understandably reluctant to accept or wear a hat with such deep and noticeable dents and creases that we were unable to smooth out. My man also commented that the Temu MAGA hats were made for narrow heads. They barely fit my man's head, and he demonstrated to me with an NBA baseball cap how wider caps with flat brims better suit bigger heads, and how the curved bill of the cheaper baseball cap from Temu is unflattering to his big head type. My man told me that the hat suited me better, since my head, though big, is still smaller than his.
The back of the Temu MAGA hat is adjustable with velcro, but I found that it is only adjustable to a certain extent, with the crown of the hat dictating its maximum size. Even when I adjusted the velcro, the sections I expanded just hung at the back of my head, rather than creating more space for my head to fit into. I thus feel that the hat gives the illusion of being adjustable, while in actuality being very limited in the range it can be adjusted to. I noticed that it hurt my head a bit to wear the cheap MAGA hat even after adjusting it, because the crown remained a bit too small for my big head. See below to see the velcro adjustable design of the Temu Make America Great Again hat.
I also would have preferred the snapback design of the original MAGA cap, as I tend not to like velcro straps in general, as I find that they ruin the cloth of the clothes one is wearing when the velcro part accidentally touches it, as it stick to the fabric and makes it irreversibly unsmooth in texture when it is pulled off. Because I sometimes take off my baseball caps and hold them in my hand, the velcro sometimes rubs against and gets caught on the clothes I am wearing, and has ruined the parts of my clothes it has touched. If that could be a problem for you, and you fear accidentally damaging your clothes with the velcro from the straps of the cheap MAGA hats, then it might be worth it for you to go for the more expensive snapback Trump Make America Great Again hats, or just remember not to take off the cheap MAGA hats until you can store them somewhere safe.
I like that the Temu MAGA hat has the "Make America Great Again," "45-47," and American flag embroidered directly onto the hat, rather than just ironed on (see below).
Because of the damage to the MAGA hats I had ordered, I was able to get a refund for them without needing to return them, which was good, because my man and I have never worn them yet -- partly because of the dents, partly because they are unflattering to our head shapes, partly because they don't fit us well and comfortably, and partly because they aren't really safe to wear around here.
We still like that we at least have and own Make America Great Again hats, even if they're not real, and even though we haven't been able to wear them out yet. We look forward to getting authentic MAGA caps in the future, but in the meantime are glad to have gotten these, at the very least for their symbolic meaning.
My man really wants to a get an authentic Make America Great Again hat personally signed by President Trump, and obviously, an imitation from Temu could never compare to or be worthy of that, but the ones we have will do... for now. ;)
Note that the Make America Great Again caps we bought appear to not be for sale anymore from the vendor we bought them from, but you can click the "Find similar" button on the link page to look for similar hats, keeping in mind that items sold by different vendors can differ in quality, material, and packaging, and that most of the hats sold on Temu are made with polyester or polyester blends, and that you have to look hard to find hats made with 100% cotton, like the ones we bought. I haven't linked to a different hat because of this, because I can't guarantee receiving a similar hat and experience, with a different hat sold by a different vendor. What you receive could also be a hit or miss depending on how it is positioned in the package you receive it in, as it does not arrive in a box like I've read that the MAGA hats from the Trump Store are packaged in.
Review
Pros:
-allow those who don't have a lot of money or are more frugal to have access to MAGA hats that they can wear, to visually show their support
-look decently similar to the original Make America Great Again hats
-allow people to show support for Trump for a very low price
-adjustable, with velcro size adjuster
-great for wearing to Trump events
-iconic and recognizable design
-commemorate Trump's two presidencies, with the 45-47 embroidery
-decent-quality materal
-made of cotton
-great statement-maker
-allow people from other countries to access and buy MAGA hats
Cons:
-made for smaller heads
-made in China, so that you inevitably support China by buying them, even as you aim to support America
-not packaged protectively during shipping
-can lose shape easily
-can fit uncomfortably, and not suit big-headed people as well as it might suit small- and average-sized headed people
-wearers can get a lot of flack for, and even be harassed and/or injured by others for wearing them
-velcro back has limited adjustment capabilities
-velcro on adjustable strap can damage clothing if it touches it
Gem or Junk?
For us: Gem (3 1/2 stars out of 5)
The cheap MAGA hats from Temu are a way for Trump supporters from other countries outside of America, and Americans who want to show their support but would otherwise not be able to afford authentic MAGA hats, to access and buy hats bearing the "Make America Great Again" message. In this case, I think that the sentiment counts.
The knock-off Make America Great Again hats are decent quality, and are pretty good imitations of the originals. If you have a small or average-sized head and don't mind your hat arriving with dents, then you'll probably be fine, or even pleased with the imitations.
Because my man and I have big heads and want our hats shaped perfectly, however, we don't think that they are good enough to wear on a regular basis, although they might be okay for occasional photo-taking.
For the price (especially now, as some have gone down to even cheaper prices since when we bought them), I think that they are worth trying.
Gems For Who:
1) People who want a MAGA hat, but can't afford one.
2) People from countries outside of America who want to buy a MAGA hat.
3) Trump- and MAGA-supporters.
4) People who want an affordable way to buy MAGA hats for all their family members.
5) People who attend Trump events.
6) People who want to buy a MAGA hat as a joke (we aren't supporting or recommending this -- just acknowledging that it happens).
7) People with smaller heads who need a cheap baseball cap.
8) People who want to visibly support Trump.
9) People who want a keepsake of Trump's presidency.
10) People who collect memento hats.
11) People who want to support the MAGA movement from afar.
12) People who want to buy a big quantity of MAGA hats to give away at events.
13) People who want a gift for MAGA-supporting friends and family.
Conclusion:
If you're looking for a cheap MAGA hat alternative, then the Make America Great Again baseball caps from Temu are worth giving a shot, for their very affordable pricing.
Especially if you're not American, and live in a country outside of America, and are priced out by the authentic MAGA hats' premium pricing, added exchange rate, extra delivery costs, and potential border issues, the super-low prices of the Temu MAGA caps make it make more sense and more reasonable to purchase both the classic Make America Great Again hats that my man and I chose, and the great assortment of more recent designs that have come out. It's actually also an affordable way to buy multiple styles of the MAGA hat, if you want to rock more than one, and have different styles to better match different outfits.
If they don't fit you, or are damaged during shipping (like the ones we had received, which you see some of the damage to in the image on the side), Temu is usually good about giving refunds, and the hats can at least be put on display, if you can't comfortably wear them. Their cheap price makes them possible to buy in large quantities, if you are hosting a Trump-related event and want to hand them out as freebies, or buy one for each member of your family.
No matter what your reason for wanting a Make America Great Again cap, Temu's MAGA hat knock-offs make it more possible to own and wear the symbol, even if you can't access or afford an original.
If you want to give one a try and haven't yet signed up for Temu and want to buy one or several there, please use my referral link (https://app.temu.com/m/u1s88mitqhp) for additional savings, and to get a free $100 coupon bundle to use on your future purchases, after you sign up.
See you in my next article! :)
