Trump Supporters Can Vote on Space Force Logos for Merch Line

By Brendan Menapace

The idea for Space Force, a sixth branch of the U.S. military that would handle all matters in space, has been thrown around by Donald Trump and his administration for a little while now, and has mostly seemed like a fun "what if" scenario for the future.

Yesterday, Vice President Mike Pence took a major step toward making Space Force a reality. Shortly after, Trump supporters received an email from Trump 2020 re-election campaign manager Brad Parscale asking them to vote on a Space Force logo that would be used for merchandise later on.

The email said, according to BBC:

President Trump wants a SPACE FORCE - a groundbreaking endeavor for the future of America and the final frontier. As a way to celebrate President Trump's huge announcement, our campaign will be selling a new line of gear.

Included were several logo options to vote on:

The Trump campaign wants to start selling a new Space Force themed line of merchandise, and they are soliciting votes on which design to use. https://t.co/jULMiMUHiJ pic.twitter.com/yinmhPxizx

— ABC News (@ABC) August 10, 2018

One of the logos looks pretty similar to an existing logo:

If the Trump campaign's design for a Space Force logo looks familiar, that's because it is. pic.twitter.com/ZI6WnyqJm3

— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) August 9, 2018

Trump first started publicly kicking around the idea for Space Force in June, but hasn't gotten the support of U.S. military leaders just yet. Pence said in his announcement that the administration plans to have Space Force up and running by 2020, though, as a branch of the military on equal footing with the other five.

But, that idea might be tougher than it seems, as the president doesn't have the power to make a new branch of the military materialize from nothing. The Pentagon laid out the parameters of establishing a new branch of the military, per ABC News, which said that Congress would have to approve any plan to make the Space Force the first new branch since the Air Force was established in 1947.

What the Defense Department could do, however, is establish two new entities that wouldn't be military branches exactly—the U.S. Space Command and Space Development Agency.

This is all metaphorical pie in the literal sky for now. But the merchandise for Trump's big idea seems like it's happening whether the Space Force actually follows in 2020 or not.

Either a "Mars Awaits" hat will be a keepsake to the time we established our latest military branch and begun to fulfill our Manifest Destiny in the eternal void of space, or from the time we thought it would be a good idea to militarize the stars.

It also essentially serves as campaign merchandise. It represents an idea that's become a cornerstone of Trump's platform going into the 2020 election (when the Space Force theoretically will begin operation). By showing support of Space Force, buyers show support for Trump's re-election, with merchandise proceeds going toward his campaign.

One thing is certain—the president is fully in: