During an address to a joint session of Congress on 4 March, US President Donald Trump mocked the African nation of Lesotho as a country ‘which nobody has ever heard of.’
If indeed Trump had never heard of Lesotho, all he needed to do was look at his website, which markets golf T-shirts manufactured in Lesotho by the Greg Norman Collection in collaboration with the Trump golf club.
The shirts emblazoned with the Trump Golf Club apparel logo clearly state that they are manufactured in Lesotho.
Therefore, it is strange that Trump, who has presented himself as a hands-on businessman for decades, would have no idea where his company sources its T-shirts.
Or could it be that he knows Lesotho, and some of his merchandise comes from there but feigns ignorance for strategic reasons?
There is a good reason why Trump wouldn’t want to be associated with his company’s Lesotho business. Precious Garments, the Lesotho-based company that manufactures the Greg Norman apparel, had been cited for appalling working conditions characterised by physical abuse, low wages and long working hours. In 2024, The Dial, a cultural and political magazine, reported supervisors subjected Precious Garments workers to strip searches at the end of every shift. The workers, who earned an average of $140 per month, reported supervisors regularly hitting them and calling them demeaning names. Some have called out the company for trying to disrupt or weaken the power of trade unions by targeting union leaders, allegations confirmed by a 2023 US State Department report.
Trump claims to be ‘America First,’ but his company outsources apparel production to countries such as Canada, China, Indonesia and Turkey. Plus, in 2022, a US trade agency fined a pro-Trump Utah company for switching out tags that said ‘Made in China’ to those that said ‘Made in the USA.’
Could these allegations be why Trump feigns not to know Lesotho?
Sources
https://www.wave3.com/story/1778911/donald-trump-takes-hands-on-approach-to-business/
https://www.thedial.world/articles/news/issue-18/lesotho-sportswear-factory-abuse-reebok-greg-norman
https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/lesotho
https://agoa.info/news/article/3218-agoa-boosts-lesotho-textile-exports-to-us-by-50-but.html
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/10/pro-trump-brand-fake-made-in-usa-tags
https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/lesotho