Shamrockgate: Trump’s ‘St Patty’s Day’ MAGA hat fail draws ire of the Irish
The hats, which cost a whopper $50, are limited edition and made in the USA. “Capture the luck of the Irish with this Make America Great Again Hat,” the website reads.
Need a #MAGA hat for St. Patty’s Day? ☘️ Get it here: https://t.co/kRN4tlF4GXpic.twitter.com/QYqdtVTHy1
— GOP (@GOP) March 3, 2017
Who pays $50 for a baseball cap??? complete with the wrong motiff, a clover and not a shamrock. Oh yes, Trump supporters #shamrockgatehttps://t.co/Y3cfrMV8qg
— Tom Barrett (@tombarrett200) March 7, 2017
Capture the luck of the Irish with this Make America Great Again Hat. While supplies last! BUY NOW: https://t.co/TbqIm56aoY#MAGApic.twitter.com/PCZLl7HXdD
— Official Team Trump (@TeamTrump) March 2, 2017
Perhaps the team should have had a better “look” at the Irish to check what the symbol of St Patrick’s Day is before designing the hats.
The hats feature a gold four leafed clover on the back, instead of a shamrock, which has three leaves. The shamrock is the symbol of St Patrick’s Day because the saint was said to have used the shamrock to symbolise the Christian Holy Trinity.
#Fakefacts#Trump store sells Patrick's Day green hat with 4-leaf clover not #shamrock. Make Ireland Grate Again. pic.twitter.com/VDZcMxfAuw
— Dobharchu (@Dobharchu) March 7, 2017
While this is by no means the worst thing to come out of the Trump administration, the gaffe got the attention of the Twittersphere.
Can #Trump please not associate himself with Ireland? We really don't want anything to do with him - also a shamrock only has three leaves
— Aine 'on yah' (@ainedarlings) March 7, 2017
Trump being culturally clueless with a four leaf clover instead of a shamrock @donoghue88 where's your dad from? Bawston. pic.twitter.com/NedHuskpKl
— Olivia Victoria (@oliviavcbrooks) March 6, 2017
Perhaps the more offending aspect of #shamrockgate was the tweet sent by the Republican party urging its followers to get their “St Patty’s Day” MAGA hats.
Number 1 the hat has a clover on it, not a shamrock and 2 it's ST PATRICK'S DAY OR PADDY'S DAY! Who is Patty? 😣 #shamrockgate#Trumphttps://t.co/fuAWGmyguB
— Conchur Moore (@conchubar1) March 7, 2017
Major diplomatic incident https://t.co/FtFz23UbH2#Shamrockgate#paddynotpatty
— Caroline Greer (@CarolineGreer) March 7, 2017
'Paddy not Patty' - a handy guide to St. Patrick's Day by @twisteddoodles#StPatricksDay#PaddysDaypic.twitter.com/DWzCWSqy7l
— Gutter Bookshop (@gutterbookshop) March 7, 2017
My annual reminder: It's St. Patrick's Day, or St. Paddy's Day; NEVER St. Patty's day, as St. Patricia wasn't Irish. Also, ná deoch i bhfad.
— Bill Savage (@RogersParkMan) March 6, 2017
An Irish T-shirt company even cashed in on the scandal, producing a T-shirt with a four leafed clover, with, “This is a shamrock” and “#alternativefact” written below.
They’re going to go fast—get ready for #StPatricksDay by grabbing a green #AlternativeFacts t-shirt from https://t.co/NZ4WWISOcV and #MAGApic.twitter.com/BLqQksd8io
— Hairy Baby (@HairyBabyTees) March 7, 2017
Trump isn’t the first US president to invite the wrath of the Irish. In 2012, Barack Obama T-shirts were ridiculed for also bearing a four leafed clover instead of a shamrock.
