When you ask someone why they don’t use paper straws, they might say: “Aren’t paper straws more expensive than plastic?” Well, that depends. Plastic straws caught on in popularity because they became cheaper and cheaper to make. Despite being far more harmful to our country’s habitats and animals than any paper straw could be, people still appreciate how cheap plastic straws are.

Let’s take a step back, however, and remember how much the Trump campaign is asking supporters to pay for just 10 straws: 15 dollars. This equates to one dollar and fifty cents for just one plastic Trump straw. “Liberal” paper straws on the other hand can cost as little as a two cents per straw. Plastic straws may be cheaper than some paper straws, but Trump’s plastic straws are most certainly not.

When we do the math, it turns out the folks who bought the “liberal” paper straws for pennies are ending up with more hard-earned money in their pockets than the folks people who bought Trump’s 15-dollar plastic straws. Yes, the Trump campaign claims that these plastic straws are “reusable”, but so are all the single-use plastic straws that litter our planet. The Trump campaign site never says anything about the quality, thickness, durability, etc of these plastic straws, so for all we know, these 15-dollar straws could be no different from the cheapest plastic ones on the market.