This surprised us about the merchandise at Trump's state fair

Great American State Fair attendees searching for Donald Trump's visage on official merchandise will strike out, as none of the event's items feature the president.

USA TODAY visited the fair on Tuesday, June 30, and found T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, scarves, bags and beach towels primarily featuring the emblem for Freedom 250, the group coordinating the event. Freedom 250 is tied to Task Force 250, a public-private partnership created by the White House to celebrate the U.S. 250th anniversary in tandem with federal agencies.

The exceptions were two shirts that depicted the Harley-Davidson logo with the tagline "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Merchandise ranges from a few dollars to $200, specifically for a sports jersey emblazoned with "America 26" on the front and "Freedom 26" on the back. One worker told USA TODAY she'd only sold one jersey since the event began.

One of the most popular items, the worker told USA TODAY, is a blue T-shirt featuring a small "American 250" flag on the front and "Freedom 250" on the back. The shirt also depicts the White House, Trump's arch, the Washington Monument and the festival's Ferris wheel, alongside the phrases "Freedom 250," "Great American State Fair" and "Celebrating 250 Years," with the years 1776-2026 and Washington, D.C.

The shirt retails for $35. Other popular items include baseball caps, which also retail for $35.

Several boxes of unsold items were visible behind the counter, suggesting ample inventory, although the worker told USA TODAY sales had been steady.

Fairgoers did not appear to be sporting the items. However, several attendees were wearing commemorative 250 shirts, including two who told USA TODAY they purchased theirs online.

USA TODAY contacted Freedom 250 on June 30 to ask why Trump doesn't appear on the merchandise and who benefits from its sales.

Trump appeared on rally merch, but not official fair merch

At Trump's opening rally on Wednesday, June 24, organizers sold T-shirts with the phrase "America Is Back" on top of a collaged image of Trump at the fair and in front of a Freedom 250 flag with planes flying overhead, military bands performing for a packed crowd, the arch and Ferris wheel. The shirt retailed for $35.

A red Make America Great Again-style hat with the same tagline was also being sold for $40 at Trump's rally, but both items were unavailable when USA TODAY visited the fair Tuesday.

The Great American State Fair is being held on the National Mall through July 10. Each day has themed programming. On Tuesday, it was Future of America: Innovation, Technology & Progress, featuring conversations with Homeland Security Department Undersecretary Pedro Allende and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, who spoke about revitalization in the nation's capital.

The afternoon also featured a cultural performance from Guam, showcasing traditional music and dance.

What other things will Trump's face appear on?

Trump's face may not be on merch at the Great American State Fair; however, the president will appear on limited-edition U.S. "patriot passports", gold coins and more.

Just last week, Trump unveiled a new rendering of the special commemorative U.S. passport bearing his portrait, marking America's 250th anniversary.

"The U.S.A.'s New Passport, which says, 'Welcome, but be good!' President DJT," Trump wrote in a June 26 Truth Social post. Roughly 40,000 of the special-edition passports are expected to be issued and will become available starting July 6, according to the State Department.

Trump's portrait is also expected to be etched on a 24-karat gold commemorative coin after the Commission of Fine Arts, an advisory board whose members were handpicked by the president, approved the general design on March 19.

"It's a very strong, very tough image of him," said Chamberlain Harris, a member of the committee and deputy director of Oval Office operations at the White House, in March. "It's fitting to have a current sitting president who's presiding over the 250th year on a commemorative coin for said year."

Separately, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has said it plans to issue a $1 Trump coin that the fine arts commission approved in January.

Aside from coins and passports, Trump's face may appear on a new $250 banknote after the Treasury Department prepared a mock-up in May. If the bills become a reality, it would make Trump the first living person featured on American currency in more than 150 years.

The chances of Trump appearing on the $250 bill and it becoming official currency may be slim, as it'll probably depend on the passage of Republican-backed legislation that has failed to advance in Congress. Additionally, federal law states "only the portrait of a deceased individual" may appear on U.S. currency and securities. The prohibition against living people appearing on currency dates to 1866, when Congress took action after a Treasury official, Spencer Clark, printed his face on banknotes.

A copy of the $250 bill, obtained by The Washington Post, shows Trump's signature to the left of the president's portrait and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's signature to the right. British painter Iain Alexander designed the portrait. Also, Trump has personally signed off on the designs, The Post reported.

Contributing: Joey Garrison, Karissa Waddick & Saman Shafiq/ USA TODAY

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: This surprised us about the merchandise at Trump's state fair

Reporting by Michelle Del Rey , USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 5:18 PM.