Meet the mom running Trump's merchandising empire: From MAGA hats to mug shot shirts the mastermind behind the merch opens up about relationship with Donald

In mid-2015, Christl Mahfouz found herself in a high-stakes meeting in Trump Tower, pitching her campaign merchandising business to then-candidate Donald Trump. 

The Louisiana mother of three recounted the nerve-wracking experience in an interview with DailyMail.com at the Republican National Convention, saying she walked into the meeting 'so nervous' but with a clear vision for products like 'Women for Trump' and 'Veterans for Trump.' 

To her astonishment, Trump approved the designs on the spot and asked Mahfouz how quickly she could get the merchandise ready.

'I told him, 'Give me a week, sir, and I'll be ready to go,'' Mahfouz said. 

That week-long turnaround kicked off a successful partnership that has made her company, ACE Specialties, the official merchandiser for the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee.

People shop for Donald Trump related merchandise at the Republican National Convention

'So if you can imagine, I walk into Trump Tower so nervous.'

'What a lot of people don't know, is that my company was based in Lafayette, Louisiana, and we were hit really hard in the oil industry, and I was really on the brink of losing everything,' Mahfouz recalled. 

The city is a major hub for the oil industry and that year prices for oil plummeted dropping from roughly $95 per barrel in June 2014 to just $32 per barrel by December 2015, according to U.S. federal data.   

'And the day that President Trump made his way down the escalator [in 2015], these visions popped into my head, and it was like women for Trump, veterans for Trump Team Trump, all of these logos,' the Louisianan continued. 

So she 'put the designs together, printed some merchandise, sent it up to the tower, and found myself there doing the pitch of a lifetime a few weeks later.'

'President Trump himself came down and he looked at everything,' Mahfouz said. 'He approved everything on the spot, and turned to me and said, 'How fast can you get this done?''

'I said, 'Give me a week, sir, and I'll be ready to go.'

'So that day, I like to say the MAGA brand was born,' she told DailyMail.com. 

Christl Mahfouz said her meeting with Trump in 2015 to design his merchandise and later business relationship with the president changed her life 

A supporter of Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump looks on while wearing a MAGA hat at Ted Hendricks Stadium ahead of Trump's campaign event in Hialeah, Florida, U.S. November 8, 2023

Donald Trump was wearing his iconic MAGA hat when he was shot by a would-be assassin last Saturday during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania 

She said the 'MAGA' brand she helped create has become 'the most iconic brand in political history.'

But she does credit Trump with coining the term 'Make America Great Again,' which is the bedrock slogan of his political merchandising machine. 

Mafhouz said the bestseller, by far, is the original red MAGA hat. 

'I would say that's definitely his greatest design,' she said of the notorious cap. 

Another top seller were shirts and other memorabilia showcasing Trump's infamous mug shot taken after he was booked in a Fulton County jail in August 2023. 

Trump merchandise sits on a vendor table near the security checkpoint at the RNC

Recently, her merchandise featuring Trump and his recently minted running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, has been selling like crazy. 

The reason she has sold so many Trump-Vance products, Mahfouz said, is because she was one of the first to be able to produce the highly-anticipated merchandise.

'Well, when the VP was announced, we had shirts here and buttons the next morning. So Trump-Vance 2024 is flying off the shelves.'

She told DailyMail.com that she contacted local graphic printers and designers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the Republican National Convention (RNC) was held, so that she could get selling as soon as possible. 

Importantly, she notes, all of the official Trump and RNC official products are American-made. 

'All of the products we make are made right here in America,' Mahfouz said. 

A Trump supporter wears a t-shirt with a photo of former President Donald Trump's mug shot

Vendors were quick to capitalize on selling imagery from Trump's near assassination attempt 

'So not only has my company survived, not only have we created jobs, but we've supported farming the cotton manufacturing.'

'Every piece of every product is made right here in America.'

Mahfouz said the opportunity the former president gave her changed everything. 

'It's been life-changing, not only for me, but you know, my employees and their families and everyone we support,' Mahfouz said. 

'I have 42 [employees], and they are dedicated and love the mission. And, you know, we just make it happen.'

She said Trump's adoring fans love the products so much because they are so firmly in support of the 45th president. 

RNC attendees try on sparkly hats with MAGA and U.S. flag logos

'I think there's so much love and support for President Trump and excitement that everyone is just happy to have a piece.'

'Happy to have a piece of history,' she added with a smile.