Trump Lashes Out on Goodyear Over MAGA Wear Policy, Calls for Boycott
President Trump on Wednesday called for a boycott on tires from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. due to the company's "ban" on MAGA hats.
Goodyear didn't announce such a specific ban, though. But it did ask its employees to refrain from workplace expressions involving political campaigns.
MAGA is short for "Make America Great Again," which is a popular Trump campaign slogan.
Trump appeared to be talking about an image that a Goodyear employee said was from a diversity training slideshow. The image went viral this week, according to Politico.
The slideshow listed Black Lives Matter and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride messages as acceptable while politically affiliated slogans were not accepted.
How did Trump's comments affect Goodyear?
When Trump tweeted for a boycott on Goodyear, the company's stock went downward, reported Associate Press.
The firm shares went as much as 6% lower after the president's attack, according to BBC. But they did regain ground. It closed down 2.4% as they trimmed its losses in the afternoon.
Trump said he is thinking of removing tires produced the company from his custom presidential limousine, reported CNN.
The presidential limousine, also known as the "Beast" has custom tires from Goodyear. Back in 2009, Goodyear said in a statement that it is "the exclusive tire for the presidential limo and the standard tire of the US Secret Service."
When a reported pointed this out during a Wednesday new conference, Trump said that he would want them changed if there's an alternative.
"I would swap them out, based on what I heard. We'll see what happens," he said, noting that "a lot of people" would not want to the company's tires anymore and buy from a competitor instead.
Goodyear is the largest tire producer in North America. According to Tyre Business, an industry publication, they are on 24% of new vehicles in the U.S. The company has built a good name for its branded tires.
What is the concern with Goodyear's 'unacceptable messages'?
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany spoke in behalf of the president regarding the matter on Wednesday.
She said the president was concerned that the company will allow attire supporting advocacies such as "Black Lives Matter" and other related matters but not the "Blue Lives Matter" movement that backs police officers or MAGA.
"As far as I'm concerned, 'Blue Lives Matter' is an equity issue," she said in the briefing. "There have been police officers across this country that have been targeted because they wear the badge."
She said the company had to "come out to clarify their policy."
Trump said that he believed that Goodyear is "using their power" over their customers. He also added that the company was "playing politics."
Goodyear defended itself on Wednesday, saying the slide in question was not prepared at their headquarters. The company also said the slide in question does not indicate an "anti-police" policy.
They said they "wholeheartedly supported" both equality and the country's law enforcers. They stressed that the two matters are not mutually exclusive.
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