MAGA politicos and activists often complain that “woke capital” is ruining America. To escape this supposed threat, increasing numbers of them appear to be turning to PublicSquare, an online marketplace seeking to connect “freedom-loving Americans to the businesses that share their values.” The company, which counts Donald Trump Jr. among its champions and investors, pitches itself as a right-wing alternative to Amazon, where conservative consumers can vote with their dollars and buy goods from businesses that claim to oppose liberal values, from diversity initiatives to supporting abortion rights.
As with so many concepts that emerge from today’s right wing, PublicSquare seeks to solve a social problem by walling off its users from the broader world. But the road ahead for the business is packed with pitfalls, and could pose challenges to its capacity for growth in the future.
This marketplace permits consumers to congregate in an oasis of demographic and ideological comfort.
PublicSquare has merged a business enterprise with political activism, hoping to tap into right-wing anger over mainstream corporate America’s increasing adoption of modest inclusivity efforts. When, for example, Bud Light worked with a trans influencer on a branded content partnership, right-wing activists angrily called for a consumer boycott. PublicSquare is angling to create an entire parallel MAGA economy for that set of consumers. As Axios reports, a customer can buy diapers from companies that partner with anti-abortion organizations, or find a “Christian alternative” to American Girl dolls. They can also find everyday items like socks that look like socks you might buy anywhere else, but with the understanding that their dollars are going to small business owners who are ostensibly right-wing.
But even as PublicSquare presents itself as a safe haven to customers, it’s not clear that businesses have to necessarily do much to join the platform. According to The…
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