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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — On a recent trip to Washington for a research symposium, Michelle Beermann veered into a nearby gift shop, drawn by the prospect of adding to her new bust collection. The 24-year-old stood in front of the display in White House Gifts, carefully weighing the faux bronze and marble options — Presidents John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama among them — before choosing a bust of Abraham Lincoln, her favorite president, to join the ranks of William Shakespeare, George Washington and various figures of Greek mythology in her home. And while Ms. Beermann, a student at the University of Illinois, plans to eventually add those two other presidents to her collection, she is adamant that a bust of President Trump will not be among them. “I’m just not a fan of his, for political reasons,” Ms. Beermann said. “I didn’t want him staring at me.” Her sentiments reflect an unusual quandary for some distributors of presidential merchandise: Just over six months into the Trump presidency, how do you successfully market a divisive president? “This is difficult for us as a retailer to determine what to sell,” said Jim Warlick, who owns White House Gifts. The demand for what he describes as anti-Trump items regularly matches or eclipses the selling power of merchandise for the 45th president — with one notable exception. “That red cap has been the best cap we’ve ever had,” he said with a laugh, referring to the red cap emblazoned with the “Make America Great Again” slogan. The... Link to the full article to read more