Fact Check

Romney Campaign Caps Made in China?

Photograph shows a Romney/Ryan campaign cap made in China?

Published Oct. 30, 2012

Claim:

Claim:   Photograph shows a Romney/Ryan campaign cap made in China (and an Obama cap made in the U.S.).


UNDETERMINED


Example:   [Collected via e-mail, October 2012]


I saw this on Facebook and I was wondering about the validity of it. I was unable to find anything on whether or not the Romney picture is photoshopped or not.



 

Origins:   We don't know the specific origins of this image purporting to show Romney/Ryan campaign hats manufactured in China, but the cap shown doesn't match (either in style or color) the baseball caps offered for sale on the official Mitt Romney campaign site, which are advertised as "Made proudly in the USA":

A member of family whose Colorado-based company makes caps for the Romney campaign posted on Facebook to say that "Romney/Ryan hat on the left was not authorized by the Romney campaign."

However, a photograph taken at a Republican campaign office in Tennessee shows tan Romney/Ryan campaign caps like the one pictured above for sale along with a variety of other Romney campaign merchandise:

Since the label on the Chinese-made Romney cap bears the name of Nissin, a manufacturer and importer of various items such as caps, bags, totes, and aprons which are customizable by the purchaser, it's possible a local campaign office or booster group or an unauthorized vendor seeking to cash in on a demand for campaign-related garb or someone else working without the direction or knowledge of the Romney national campaign ordered some caps made up like the one shown in the example for their own purposes.

Last updated:   1 November 2012

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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