Sales of branded merchandise generated $4 million for President Donald Trump’s reelection effort in March and April, the president’s campaign told CBS.

President Donald Trump’s “Keep America Great” hat is the spiritual successor to the ubiquitous “MAGA” hat from the 2016 election.

A related analysis by CBS showed that the campaign spent $1.2 million on “buttons, stickers, hats, signs, and rally signs” with Louisiana-based promotional products distributor Ace Specialties (asi/103553) in March. The company has been the president’s go-to promotional products distributor since his election campaign four years ago.

The outlay on swag in March was the campaign’s single greatest expenditure that month. The tally was part of the $10.5 million the campaign has invested in logoed merchandise since the start of 2017, according to filings with the FEC.

Trump’s web store offers both traditional promo items like shirts and signs as well as more unique items like puzzles and coloring books.

The president’s presumptive opponent, former vice president Joe Biden, has not placed a similar emphasis on merch sales during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a CBS review, Biden’s campaign has not run any merchandise advertisements in the past 30 days. The candidate’s online campaign store has been accepting orders during the pandemic, but stated for several weeks on its website that it had “temporarily suspended order fulfillment for the safety of our printing and fulfillment staff, due to COVID-19." That message is no longer visible on the site.

In the age of coronavirus, Trump’s rallies are on hold, but merchandise sales continue. The campaign has sold $4 million in merch in 2 months.

Ironically, Obama’s 08 campaign changed the merch sales game paving the way. Rpt w/ ⁦@NicoleSganga⁩https://t.co/3QmAqLXUck

— Sarah Ewall-Wice (@EwallWice) May 14, 2020

Trump’s significant reliance on promotional products during the 2020 campaign continues the emphasis the president placed on merch during his victorious run in 2016 – particularly with the runaway success of his “Make America Great Again” hats. Combined with Barack Obama’s success in selling merch in his two presidential election campaigns, the profile of promo products in elections has never been greater.

Candidates have used swag to help build their personal brands, raise vital funds, and gather data about supporters that can be used to fuel advertising and marketing efforts.

“The desire for political swag has increased exponentially, especially since Trump became involved,” says Randy LeFaivre, CEO/president of distributorship MetroLogo (asi/268938).

Based in Washington, D.C., LeFaivre has worked on a bevy of politics-related merch initiatives for Republican and Democrat clients, including former 2020 presidential candidate John Delaney and nationally known pundits like Tucker Carlson. “Nowadays,” LeFaivre says, “there’s definitely a deeper understanding that the right merchandise can provide a ton of value.”