In 2023, Donald Trump Jr. stood on a podium at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate the debut of Public Square, a little-known online marketplace founded as a MAGA alternative to Amazon and other e-commerce sites. Company executives hoped Trump Jr., an early investor and board member whose father pushed to snuff out progressive politics in American boardrooms, would help drive business to their "anti-woke" marketplace.

They envisioned the marketplace as a place where American brands could sell household goods and family products to conservative, patriotic and religious consumers. Three years later, Public Square is struggling. The company's marketplace failed to gain traction with consumers, and its underlying business model later fell apart, executives acknowledged, after President Trump embraced the tech companies he had attacked on the campaign trail.

The company racked up costs—and consulting fees—before shifting into fintech, resulting in a 99% stock drop.