What do a southern chef, the owner of a professional basketball team and a candidate in the 2016 presidential election have in common? They’ve all been ditched by brands, retailers and other companies after being accused of making racist comments. The latest addition to the list comes as Macy’s announced it would sever its decades-long relationship with businessman Donald Trump.
CNN reports (warning: link contains video that autoplays) that Macy’s joined the growing list of businesses cutting ties with Trump after he recently made controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants.
The department store plans to begin pulling Trump brand merchandise from its stores, saying it “stands for diversity” and that it has no tolerance for discrimination. It was unclear when or if the company would pull television advertisements in which the presidential candidate appears.
“In light of statements made by Donald Trump, which are inconsistent with Macy’s values, we have decided to discontinue our business relationship with Mr. Trump and will phase-out the Trump menswear collection, which has been sold at Macy’s since 2004,” the company said in a statement.
Following Macy’s announcement, Business Insider reports that Trump announced he wasn’t the ditchee, he was the ditcher – saying it was his idea to end his relationship with the department store.
“I have decided to terminate my relationship with Macy’s because of the pressure being put on them by outside sources,” Trump said in a statement. “While selling Trump ties and shirts at Macy’s is a small business in terms of dollar volume, my principles are far more important and therefore much more valuable.”
The pressure Trump alludes to came in the form of a petition calling for the removal of his products from the department store. The effort on MoveOn.org had garnered more than 700,000 signatures as of Wednesday morning, CNN reports.
Macy’s is just the latest company to distance itself from Trump following his disparaging statements last week.
NBC Universal, which airs the Celebrity Apprentice reality TV show and jointly owns the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageant with Trump, severed ties with the entrepreneur last week.
Trump’s recent rejection by corporate entities is the most recent evidence that companies feel little obligation to stand behind celebrities – or athletes – that allegedly say or partake in controversial behavior.
Last fall, the NFL found itself in the rejected corporate sponsorships arena following several domestic violence scandals.
Specific players – like Adrian Peterson and Ben Roethlisberger – were personally dumped by brands for alleged domestic violence and sexual assault cases.
In the spring of 2014, L.A. Clippers (now former) owner Don Sterling was accused of making racist comments. What followed was a long list of high-profile brands – like CarMax and Virgin America – cutting ties with the NBA team.
And we certainly can’t forget 2013’s Deengate, in which southern chef and restaurateur Paula Deen lost a bevy of endorsement deals, closed several restaurants and had products phased out by Walmart and Target after copping to using racist language in her past.
First on CNN: Macy’s dumps Donald Trump [CNN]
Donald Trump: It was my decision to cut off ties with Macy’s [Business Insider]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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