Donald Trump has often been accused of having clouded presidential judgement because of his financial ties, and this time is no different. Trump has once again raised concerns among citizens over the relationship between his business empire and political affairs after he took to Twitter to criticize Nordstrom after they dropped his daughter, Ivanka Trump’s, line of clothing and accessories from their stores.
Trump handled this personal issue in the best manner he could as President — by taking the matter to Twitter. He tweeted that Ivanka had been “treated unfairly” by Nordstrom from both his official Twitter account and the White House Twitter account. This is not the first time the President has used his platform to promote the business affairs of his family, as the official White House website initially featured a link to Melania Trump’s line of jewelry for QVC after his inauguration.
Though Nordstrom said their decision to remove Ivanka’s line from their stores and website was purely “based on the brand’s performance” and for financial purposes, Trump supporters immediately initiated a boycott on the department store for its “attack on [Trump’s] daughter” according to Press Secretary, Sean Spicer. Despite this, Nordstrom still stands by their assertion that they are “[they are not] taking a political position.”
However, Nordstrom’s removal of Ivanka’s products particularly struck a chord with the Commander-in-Chief as they have previously been vocal about their disapproval of his Muslim ban and treatment of immigrants. Prior to their statement on their future business relationship with Ms. Trump, the company reassured their employees that they do not support Trump’s seven-country ban and stand by their immigrant employees.
“We literally have thousands of employees who are first and second generation immigrants. Every one of your unique qualities brings a richness that allows us to better reflect and serve the multi-cultured communities we’re a part of and ultimately makes us a better company. We are a better place with you here, no doubt about it.” –Presidents of Nordstrom, Peter, Erik, and Blake Nordstrom
Nordstrom’s business move also sparked controversy among Trump-supporters because of its rumored relation to the #GrabYourWallet movement: a movement started by anti-Trump Americans dedicated to boycotting any stores that continue to sell any products associated with the Trump name. Various companies have started to follow this trend, including Marshalls and TJMaxx, who have recently joined this movement as well, after telling their employees to “trash the signage” of Ivanka Trump’s clothing and remove her merchandise from their shelves.
Whether these companies claim their refusal to carry Ivanka’s products as being political statements or not, there is no doubt that the unrest in the general population of the country has extended to corporate America as well. Companies are increasingly joining the list of stores that no longer carry Trump merchandise, adding to the fuel of the nationwide protest of racism, sexism and xenophobia in America today.
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