There was 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 rose beyond the immediate post-shooting confusion news cycle, and it pertains to, of all things, a sticker company. That’s right, the assassination attempt brought 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 was “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 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 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.
In July, Constantino responded to the backlash on X, while referencing the Democratic Party’s line of attack in describing Trump and his loyalists as “weird.” Writing directly to Sticker Mule’s X account, Constantino said he didn’t “understand” the “bizarre play” of calling Trump supporters weird, before declaring that he has made it his company’s mission to “seek out weirdness.”
He went on to describe a series of his own Sticker Mule business moves — like launching the company in Italy and creating a hot sauce — as examples of the “weirdness” Democrats are supposedly attacking, before directly referencing the email blast that got him into hot water in the first place.
“That was weird,” Constantino wrote of his decision to “come out as a Trump supporter”, adding that the reaction to his email blast was also weird. “Now our brand is stronger than ever,” he declared. While Constantino’s equating of his business decisions, including his choice to send out a pro-Trump email, doesn’t really align with the “weird” line of attack Democrats are pushing, the story doesn’t stop there.
Last month, TikTok user Aviña Comics shared a video in which he claimed that Sticker Mule was doxing him by publicly posting his negative reviews on their social media pages. The TikToker claimed that he had received two phones from people asking his thoughts on the Trump assassination attempt, leading him to believe it was Sticker Mule in retaliation to him asking for a refund after the email blast.
Users flocked to the comments to share stories of similar cases, with one viewer claiming they were contacted on the phone by Trump-related callers. It’s worth noting that the seeming connection between dissatisfied Sticker Mule customers and the Trump campaign hasn’t been confirmed, but the company joining Truth Social earlier this month is yet more evidence of where Constantino stands.