Bogus Claim Target Replaced Pride Merchandise with ‘America First’ Collection
By Charlene Lin and Sofia Rubinson
What happened: Conservative social media users are falsely claiming that Target replaced its controversial LGBT collection for Pride Month (June) with a collection celebrating “America First” policy.
Context: Target has been under political pressure for its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and has drawn criticism for its promotion of LGBT-themed clothing and accessories. In January 2025, Target announced that it would end its DEI initiatives, and the retail chain has pulled some LGBT-oriented merchandise from a number of its stores.
A closer look: Against this backdrop, some conservative commentators have been pushing the claim that Target has replaced its Pride collection with one celebrating President Trump’s “America First” agenda.
On June 2, convicted and pardoned Jan. 6 rioter Derrick Evans posted a picture of an American-themed display in a Target store and stated, “BREAKING: Target OPTS OUT of Pride month & replaced its Pride collection with an American First Summer display.” The post garnered 1.2 million views and 56,000 likes in two days.
Pro-Trump X user @JDunlap1974 posted the same photo and caption, and added, “WINNING!!” The post received 12,200 views and 750 likes in two days.
Actually: Target did not “opt out” of Pride Month. And its patriotic-themed displays are part of a usual Fourth of July promotion and are not labeled “America First.”
Target’s website hosts a 2025 Pride collection selling LGBT-themed merchandise, including a rainbow patio umbrella, a banner reading “Born to Shine,” and a rainbow-colored earrings set. Many of these items are available in the chain’s stores, according to Target’s site.
Target’s 2025 “Coastal summer style” collection has many USA-themed items, but none are labeled as “America First,” NewsGuard’s review of Target’s website found. Photos of Target’s America-themed store displays also do not contain the phrase “America First.” NewsGuard identified multiple social media posts containing photos of Target’s July 4 America-themed displays from prior years.
Asked about Target’s 2025 Pride and USA-themed collections and their availability in stores, Target said in a statement to NewsGuard: “We’re committed to providing products that delight our customers for an array of occasions and holidays. These products are available online and in the Target app, as well as in select stores.”
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