Yard signs have become a traditional part of presidential campaigns. This sign from the Trump-Pence campaign depicts their standard campaign graphic: the candidate names in a simple font, paired with the "Make America Great Again" slogan, and a plain red border interrupted by five stars at the top.

Going beyond the traditional yard sign, the Trump campaign began producing these flags during the 2016 presidential campaign. During Trump's presidency and subsequent reelection campaign, his supporters would fly the Trump flag at their homes and businesses, from their vehicles, and at his rallies, demonstrating their dedication to Trump and his cause.

In 2016, President Trump campaigned with the slogan that he would "Make America Great Again." Red hats with the white "Make America Great Again" text became a ubiquitous sight during and after the campaign. Running for his second term in 2020, the Trump campaign updated the design with a new slogan--"Keep America Great."

This button, produced by long-time Republican campaign supplier Spalding Group, supports the "America First" ideology adopted by Trump. For Trump supporters, "America First" reflected the desire to prioritize American interests over international wishes; for his detractors, it represented a disturbing, dangerous nationalist trend.

Just as the teddy bear was inspired by a tale about President Theodore Roosevelt, Trumpy Bear was designed to honor President Trump. Featuring his iconic hair, dressed in a suit, and with a secret compartment containing an American flag blanket, Trumpy Bear was for some an homage to a patriotic president, and for others an odd "as-seen-on-TV" novelty.

In addition to being an election year, 2020 saw the country dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientists recommended that Americans wear masks to help stop the transmission of the virus through airborne droplets. Following the lead of businesses and organizations across the country, the Biden-Harris camp took their traditional campaign iconography and printed it on this non-traditional medium.

This bottle of hand sanitizer, sold via the official Biden campaign site, features a detailed outline of Biden's plan to combat COVID-19, as well as the "Build Back Better" slogan adopted by the campaign. Throughout the run-up to the election, Biden positioned himself as the candidate who most believed in science, and with a prepared plan to guide the country out of the pandemic.

Joe Biden's aviator sunglasses became a common graphic on both official and unofficial campaign merchandise, reflecting a more casual, "everyman" view of the presidential hopeful. The official campaign produced this mug, choosing to play off his name and featuring the "Joe" logo used on other merchandise.

In 2020, the Lincoln Project--a coalition of former Republicans who saw President Trump as a threat to the party and the nation--emerged as a prominent voice against his reelection. Although they endorsed Joe Biden in April 2020, rather than promoting a single candidate, their non-traditional use of social media often framed their work as a fight for the preservation of America. This belief is echoed in their choice of name, and this yard sign.

Balance of Power, a political action committee committed to "Vote Blue No Matter Who," produced this shirt, a play on the Trump campaign's "Make America Great Again" slogan. The call to "Make America Kind Again" reflected a dissatisfaction with the antagonistic state of politics, and what many viewed as unkind behavior from President Trump.

Exemplifying the accelerated pace of the 21st century, branded flyswatters were available for sale within minutes of a house fly landing on Vice President Pence's hair during a televised debate in the 2020 election. These "lie swatters" were sold by the Lincoln Project--a political action committee formed in 2019 by current and former Republicans who supported Joseph Biden's nomination.

Many incarcerated people are eligible to vote, but logistical challenges and misinformation often lead to a lack of action. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, visitation to prison facilities was blocked, complicating the ability for people in jail to register to vote. Grassroots efforts were made to increase awareness and access to allow incarcerated people to receive and send mail-in ballots.

Many supporters of President Trump believe that he was vital in protecting the constitutional right to own and carry firearms. This shirt, a combination of altering the presidential campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again," and the unlicensed usage of the phrase "I'll Be Back" from the 1984 science-fiction film, "The Terminator," embodies the ideals of machoism and gun ownership.

The "Punisher" skull motif originated with the fictional Marvel Comics character Frank G. Castle. A highly skilled veteran, Castle seeks to avenge the death of his family and fight crime. The skull was adopted by military personnel in the 2000s, followed by pro-police groups, white-supremacists and far-right political groups. The skull motif has been modified with Trump's iconic swooping hairstyle.

Americans' reliance on mail and package delivery increased during the coronavirus pandemic. A rise was also expected in mail-in election ballots due to concerns about in-person voting safety. These factors brought attention to the role of the US Postal Service--and the Trump administration's attempts to reshape the agency as a business--in the 2020 election year.

The term "dumpster fire" has been documented since at least 2008 as a metaphor for the perception that events are going badly. It became an official Merriam-Webster entry in 2018 and saw increased use in 2020 owing to what many felt was an unprecedented year. President Trump's distinct physical characteristics and wordplay turn a meme into a political statement.

After President Trump appeared to signal support for the Proud Boys (considered by some to be an "alt-lite" extremist hate group) in a televised debate, former Star Trek actor and LGBTQIA+ activist George Takei called for queer youth to adopt #proudboys on Twitter. Takei's request went viral and infiltrated the hashtag with LGBTQIA+-positive images and messages.

"Seven-day" devotional candles are traditionally used by practitioners of Catholicism, syncretic religions, and folk magic. They are used to petition saints and spirits for guidance, favors, to set intentions for luck, love--even revenge. They are found in religious supply stores like botanicas, grocery stores, and online. Recently, houseware boutiques appropriated prayer candles, ironically celebrating musicians, celebrities, and politicians.

"Seven-day" devotional candles are traditionally used by practitioners of Catholicism, syncretic religions, and folk magic. They are used to petition saints and spirits for guidance, favors, to set intentions for luck, love--even revenge. They are found in religious supply stores like botanicas, grocery stores, and online. Recently, houseware boutiques appropriated prayer candles, ironically celebrating musicians, celebrities, and politicians.

Established in 1879 in Nashville, Hatch Show Print is the oldest working letterpress shop in the United States. They produced thousands of posters for the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, and other entertainment venues, nation-wide. Hatch's aesthetic is defined by its massive library of vintage wood type and hand-carved images. This poster was created in 2020 to support voting rights.

Paul Chan blends art with political activism through multimedia work, performances, and sculpture. This protest sign is part of his "New Proverbs" series, whose aesthetics are inspired by the infamous Westboro Baptist Church posters. Chan's signs premiered at the Washington and NYC Women's Marches in 2017 and continued to be a presence at protests throughout the Trump presidency.

This postcard is based on a series of letterpress posters created by Leslie Evans of Sea Dog Press. Evans created one poster per month in 2020 as a time capsule for what she (and many others) deemed "a tumultuous year." Themes include COVID-19, encouragement to vote in the Presidential election, the US postal crisis, protest organizing, pro-science and anti-corruption messaging.

This postcard is based on a series of letterpress posters created by Leslie Evans of Sea Dog Press. Evans created one poster per month in 2020 as a time capsule for what she (and many others) deemed "a tumultuous year." Themes include COVID-19, encouragement to vote in the Presidential election, the US postal crisis, protest organizing, pro-science and anti-corruption messaging.

This bag was created to drive participation of Native American voting in the 2020 US Presidential election. It depicts a family dressed in regalia, placing ballots into a USPS mailbox, wearing COVID-19 facemasks. Created by artist Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa-Choctaw), it was produced in partnership with the Illuminatives organization and distributed through Native-owned fashion business, B.Yellowtail (Northern Cheyenne / Crow).

The "distracted boyfriend" meme appropriates a stock photograph originally captioned: "Disloyal man with his girlfriend looking at another girl." Versions of this photo spread via social media in 2017, with the characters in the photograph relabeled to make political or comedic statements. This pro-Trump mask portrays the "distracted boyfriend" walking with an unhappy Joe Biden, looking toward President Trump.

Gritty--the official Philadelphia Flyers mascot--was unofficially adopted as a symbol by leftist protesters in 2018. This pin shows Gritty stomping Pepe the Frog, a Matt Furie cartoon that was misappropriated by alt-right and white nationalist groups as a hate symbol. During 2020's presidential election, Gritty memes were shared to celebrate the Democratic victory in Pennsylvania.