Trump’s mispronunciation of Yosemite brings $30K in sales to Jewish museum with ‘Yo Semite’ shirt

President Trump’s mispronunciation of the word Yosemite earned the National Museum of American Jewish History nearly $30,000 in sales of its “Yo Semite” T-shirt.

On Tuesday, the president struggled when describing the giant sequoia trees at Yosemite National Park, pronouncing the name as “yo-Semite,” which prompted numerous amused reactions from users on social media.

VIRAL MOMENT: President Trump has trouble pronouncing ‘Yosemite.’ pic.twitter.com/nkMAev0udW

— The Hill (@thehill) August 4, 2020

The slip-up went viral, causing a surge in sales of a camping T-shirt sold by the National Museum of American Jewish History, so much so that the shop’s website crashed due to a spike in traffic.

Gaze upon Yo-semite’s towering Sequoias with our “Yo Semite” t-shirt! Get ’em while they’re hot: https://t.co/PGNaXqbiwi #Yosemite pic.twitter.com/TXxs5nJ1oR

— National Museum of American Jewish History (@NMAJH) August 4, 2020

Kristen Kreider, the museum’s director of retail and visitor experience, said sales from the shirt nearly matched the amount of money the shop earned for the entirety of June, The Philadelphia Business Journal reported. 

“It just keeps gathering momentum,” Kreider said. “I just keep thinking, ‘Okay, this is going to be over in the next couple of hours. It’ll die down,’ and it doesn’t. It just keeps on going, and we’ll take it.”

The shirt has been on sale since 2011, and the shop reportedly sold around 100 annually. Now, the museum reports that nearly 1,500 of the shirts have sold in the last three days.

The museum, which is located near Independence Mall in Philadelphia, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early March and is reportedly in debt to between 200 and 999 creditors, with the most significant creditors owed nearly $20,000 apiece.

Kreider said the shirt is not the only item selling at this time, showing gratitude for people attaching other merchandise or donations to their orders. She said she thinks the increased popularity of the shirt will have significant long-term effects on the museum.

“It’s just a win-win for the museum, any way you look at it,” Kreider said.