Donald Trump Jr., US Rep. Jim Banks push ‘anti-woke’ politics and shopping

Donald Trump Jr. and U.S. Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana promoted their brand of “anti-woke” politics ahead of the 2024 elections and encouraged “pro-America” shopping at an Indianapolis town hall Monday evening.

Trump Jr. said that during his travels to Indiana’s capital city, multiple airport employees and travelers sought to shake his hand and show support.

Banks, who is running for an open U.S. Senate seat, emphasized how he “stood with President Trump” after the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol building. The elder Trump endorsed Banks’ run in February.

They were part of an event pushing audience members to shop conservatively.

When PNC Bank briefly ended its business relationship with news aggregator MxM News in March, its owner — Trump Jr. — found the application’s accounts empty.

“I call the bank: ‘Oh, yeah, yeah, we … just don’t want to do business with you,'” Trump Jr. recalled Monday evening.

The bank reopened the account the following day, citing a “good faith error,” according to Fox News. But if the abrupt closure could happen to him, Trump Jr. said, it could happen to business owners of humbler means.

Event host PublicSquare operates a digital marketplace for conservative businesses and shoppers. CEO and founder Michael Seifert told attendees that they don’t just vote in elections.

“Your vote is every single day, anytime you pull out your wallet,”he said.

Banks encouraged the crowd to shop with “pro-America” businesses.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of giving my money to businesses who support causes that want to destroy America and support woke, anti-American political processes,” he said.

The three men took several audience questions, including from a female business founder who’d switched from her previous cell phone provider and bank.

“I am not afraid,” she said. “We’ve got to stand up against the regime.”

PublicSquare’s Seifert said there are a range of conservative alternatives for many products, and he is working to fill gaps where possible.

He said the company was “creating an alternative to Amazon” that would ensure users don’t fund their “opposition” — which he defined as a “woke corporate America who’s literally giving your hard-earned dollars back to people who hate your guts.”

Attendees told the Capital Chronicle that they hoped to find and support more local companies.

“I just like the idea of a place where you can go and find new products. They’re trying to support small business, essentially, that doesn’t have the anti-American values,” said Charlie Tinkler, who said he was a political independent.

Tinkler, also an independent recording artist, said he understood the challenges small businesses face, adding, “If I had the chance to support that instead of an Amazon, then I would.”