Chrissy Teigen calls out Donald Trump Jr.'s suspiciously amazing book sales

Despite the many, many self-owns, it would appear that Donald Trump Jr.'s recent book publicity tour was a success.

After the publication of Triggered on Nov. 5, Trump Jr.'s non-fiction tirade against the left has shot to the top of the New York Times' Hardcover Nonfiction best sellers chart.

Look, here it is, sitting proudly in the number one slot.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

But hang on a minute, what does that little dagger symbol mean?

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

A quick perusal of the NYT's sidebar gives a little more context, however, and it also raises some interesting questions.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Big orders from eager bookclubs, perhaps? Maybe keen fans purchasing multiple copies for friends and family?

Well, it's always possible, but Chrissy Teigen had a different theory.

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It's worth noting that we don't know for sure how extensive these "bulk orders" are, or where exactly they're coming from. But AP reports that Steve Guest, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC), confirmed that the RNC has been offering Triggered as a fundraising incentive — although he added that copies weren't brought in "large bulk purchase", but "to keep up with demand."

Here's what the New York Times' best seller methodology section says about that dagger symbol:

"Sales are defined as completed transactions by vendors and individual end users during the period on or after the official publication date of a title. Institutional, special interest, group or bulk purchases, if and when they are included, are at the discretion of The New York Times Best-Seller List Desk editors based on standards for inclusion that encompass proprietary vetting and audit protocols, corroborative reporting and other statistical determinations. When included, such bulk purchases appear with a dagger (†)."

At the time of writing, Triggered is the only book in the top 15 on the Hardcover Nonfiction list that appears with that symbol beside it.

Hmm.