Which sticker company is trying to bribe its customers into supporting Donald Trump after his shooting?

There’s been an array of puzzling developments following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, from the widespread circulation of conspiracy theories to the onset of viral song memes on TikTok.

Even amid these head-scratching responses, one story has arisen atop the post-shooting confusion new cycle, and it pertains to a sticker company, of all things. That’s right, the assassination attempt has brought out perhaps the unlikeliest of commenters in the form of a New York-based entrepreneur and co-founder behind a sticker and digital printing company.

The co-founder copped flak for sharing a pro-Trump post not just to the company’s social media channels, but to its customers via a direct email blast. So what exactly is this sticker company, and what’s with all the hullabaloo?

Which sticker company is trying to bribe its customers into supporting Trump?

The sticker company attracting the ire of social media is called Sticker Mule. It was co-founded by Mohawk Valley-based entrepreneur Anthony Constantino and bases its operations out of Amsterdam. According to its website, Sticker Mule offers custom stickers (duh), labels, packaging and T-shirts. 

All of this might seem innocent enough (stickers are fun and playful, right?), but Sticker Mule has attracted controversy following Constantino’s post-assassination attempt comments on social media. Posting directly to the company’s official Instagram, the co-founder shared a pro-Trump diatribe claiming he has been “scared” to publicly confirm his support of the presidential candidate, but that the shooting had compelled him to “vocalize [his] support and help end the hate.”

Among other things, the post called for an end to “political hate,” claimed that many employees at Sticker Mule support Trump, and declared that anti-Trump sentiment “has gone too far.” While that post alone was enough to prompt widespread backlash — since it’s probably wise for companies to remain politically partial — the furor reached fever pitch when it was revealed that a similar message was sent directly to Sticker Mule customers. 

That’s right, it has been reported that Constantino delivered the same comments personally to Sticker Mule customers via the emails those customers used when purchasing products. This email blast — which feels like a violation of the proper use of company mailing lists — included the announcement of a specialty discount. 

The one-week-only discount (not to be confused with Amazon Prime Day) marked down Sticker Mule T-shirts from $19 to $4, with Constantino writing: “I suggest you buy [a discounted T-shirt] that shows your support for Trump.” Naturally, the bribe-ish nature of the discount (what if you used it for a Biden T-shirt?) caused even more division, with many businesses and individuals taking to the original Sticker Mule post to share their concerns. 

Among other comments, users declared that they would “cut ties” with Sticker Mule following the post, urged the company to consider remaining unbiased, and expressed concern for employees who don’t share the same views. It’s perhaps the most bizarre development in the wake of Trump’s assassination attempt (unless you count the subject of Hillbilly Elegy being announced as his running mate). But hey, we’re only a few days out from the shooting, so who knows who else will come out of the woodwork.