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Pop-Up Trump Museum Highlights Trump's Failures Near The RNC

By aaroncynic in News on Jul 19, 2016 8:00PM

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At the Trump Museum in Cleveland, by Aaron Cynic/Chicagoist

Where can you find a life-sized effigy of Donald Trump in a signature suit, made in Mexico? What about a board game with little direction that’s less fun than Monopoly, or an interactive display featuring some of the most racist and xenophobic quotes that may or may not have been written by America’s most polarizing (and plagiarizing?) presidential candidate?

The Donald Trump Museum just outside the Quicken Loans Arena at the Republican National Convention In Cleveland, that's where.

In a 6th-floor loft space above a bar near downtown Cleveland's LeBron James mural, the liberal PAC American Bridge 21st Century has set up a gallery of Donald Trump’s most impressive failures, contradictory statements and swag. The PAC, which specializes in opposition research, has been collecting materials from the carnival barker-turned-GOP presidential candidate’s various ventures since his xenophobic campaign began.

“Conventions are about telling stories of candidates, and so American Bridge wanted to take the year's worth of research we did into Donald Trump and find a creative way to tell the true story of who Donald Trump really is—a con man who scammed regular Americans out of their live savings, a divisive figure who’s advocating a dangerous agenda for Americans and someone generally unfit to be president,” Jessica Mackler, President of American Bridge, told Chicagoist.

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Photo by Aaron Cynic/Chicagoist

The pop up museum features items from Trump’s suit and tie line, golf courses, a Trump board game, dozens of books, articles and photos of him and his career. Mackler said that, while much in the collection is traditional opposition research—a technique employed by friends and foes of political campaigns to dig up the largest amount and most juiciest dirt on them—some of the items ended up being procured on sites like eBay.

Mounted on a wall next to a mannequin bearing a Trump mask wearing one of his signature suits—made in Mexico—is a map titled “Trumpsourcing,” which shows all the locations outside of America where Trump products are made.

“Despite his rhetoric on the campaign trail he makes a lot of money from outsourced products,” Mackler said.

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At the Trump Museum in Cleveland, by Aaron Cynic/Chicagoist

Interested parties can visit The Trump Museum online to schedule a tour.