Donald Trump Jr's new book may only be the No. 1 New York Times bestseller because of bulk orders linked to the Republican Party

Willy Kurniawan/Reuters

"Triggered" is a New York Times bestseller, but a dagger next to its listing raises questions.

• Donald Trump Jr's book "Triggered" topped the New York Times bestseller list, but a small dagger symbol next to the listing raised suspicions that it may be top of the pile because of bulk orders.
• The dagger symbol- (†)- is used to indicate when a title is linked to: "Institutional, special interest, group or bulk purchases," according to the New York Times. 
• A tweet posted on November 5 shows an email from Trump Jr. in which signed copies of "Triggered" were offered by the Republican National Committee to anyone making a donation of $50 or more.
• US President Donald Trump expressed his pride in his son's bestseller status in a tweet on Thursday,  but was previously criticized for using his platform to promote the book.
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Donald Trump Jr's new book "Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence US" is No.1 on the New York Times bestseller list, but it may be down to bulk buying linked to the Republican party. 

Referred to in short as "Triggered," the book came out last week and is marketed as part memoir of Trump Jr's life, part "exposé " on the "tricks that the left uses to smear conservatives and pus hem out of the public square," according to the book's Amazon listing. 

The New York Times bestseller list as released on Thursday featured the book as No.1 under the nonfiction list- but a small dagger symbol appears next to the listing. 

The dagger symbol- (†) is used to indicate when a title is linked to "Institutional, special interest, group or bulk purchases," according to the New York Times.

The Times states on its website that such titles are included on the bestseller list at the discretion of the editors and "when included, such bulk purchases appear with a dagger (†)." 

"It's known in the industry as the 'deadly dagger.' A rare penalty that is only called for flagrant fouls." a source told celebrity news site Page Six.

A tweet from White House reporter Zeke Miller posted on November 5 shows an email from Trump Jr. in which signed copies of "Triggered" were offered by the Republican National Committee to anyone making a donation of $50 or more.

Steve Guest, a spokesman from the Republican National Committee (RNC) confirmed to The Associated Press (AP) that they had been offering the book as part of a fundraising campaign. 

He said copies were bought "to keep up with demand" and not in a "large bulk purchase," according to AP. 

President Trump expressed his pride for his son's book becoming a bestseller in a tweet on Thursday.

He was, however, previously criticized for using his platform to promote the book, tweeting on November 4 to implore his followers to order the book.

Liz Hempowicz, the director of public policy at the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan government watchdog group told AP that the tweet was "a misuse of public office and it would be an official misuse of public policy if it was anyone other than the president."