Politics

Donald Trump's Customers Protest His Politics

October 18th 2016

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has ignited controversy on both sides of the aisle since he launched his campaign in 2015. The anti-Trump backlash has also reached the business tycoon's customer base, according to a Monday New York Times report.

donald-trump AP/Evan Vucci - apimages.com

The Times conducted interviews with over two dozen individuals across the U.S. who have boycotted Trump products and real estate properties due to his politics.

Charlottesville, Virginia Veteran Gary Berry — a Gold Star father whose son died in the line of duty — told the Times he stopped buying Trump's sparkling wines due to Trump's comments about the Khan family in August.

“I am sorry, that’s just not what you do,” Berry told the Times. “Trump is despicable in my mind. I’m not buying Trump anymore.”

trump wineFlickr/Eli Christman - flickr.com

Customers of Ivanka Trump's clothing company launched similar protests.

ivanka-trumpFacebook/Marissa Velez Kraxberger - apimages.com

Trump's racially charged rhetoric reportedly inspired Natalie Davis, a 50-year-old New Jersey resident, to return a well-fitting Ivanka Trump sundress to a Manhattan Lord & Taylor.

“The way he talked about black people — it’s like we are not human,” she told the Times.

“There’s no way one penny of my money is going to anything with the Trump name on it,” Davis added.

Ohio Marshalls employee Ryan Whitacre told the Times he has grown accustomed to such returns.

“They want to get that name away from them as much as they can,” Whitacre said.

Trump TowerWikimedia - wikimedia.org

There's been a great deal of talk about how Trump's presidential bid could impact his business.

As Fortune points out, Trump's comments about Mexican immigrants resulted in severed business ties with Univision, NBC, and Macy's early on his campaign.

macys-storeFlickr/Mike Mozart - flic.kr

ESPN, NASCAR, Serta mattresses, and the Professional Golfers' Association of America also ended partnerships and/or professional relationships with Trump due to his political conduct, MSNBC reports.

At a July 2015 press conference reported by CNN, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced that he was reviewing the city's contracts with Trump and did not plan on making any more deals with him.

Trump's campaign tactics also ignited conflicts within the Miss USA pageant.

Not keen on Trump's politics, a Miss USA host as well as several judges, musical guests, and performers including Flo Rida and retired NFL star Emmitt Smith left the pageant in 2015, Quartz reports.

donald-trumpAP/Evan Vucci - apimages.com

Reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Trump Organization provided the following statement to ATTN: via email:

"The Trump Brand remains incredibly strong and we are seeing tremendous success across business units. Trump properties are known for their iconic locations, achieving the highest accolades and for providing unrivaled five-star service. We continue to outperform our competitors and are very enthusiastic about the future and our continued growth.”

Recent data on foot traffic and real estate pricing at Trump properties, and data on Trump hotel bookings suggest that his campaign may not be great for business, according to a piece from Politico.

Market-tracking reports from Redfin, Hipmunk, and Foursquare, which were reported by the Washington Post, show significant drops in Trump condo prices, Trump hotel reservations, and time spent hoofing around Trump properties, compared to 2015's figures.

This could be due to a variety of factors, of course, not just Trump's campaign.

“The data that has been reported by sites such as Foursquare is manipulated to appear meaningful, when, in reality, the information is inconsequential and does not provide an accurate representation of our performance," a Trump Organization spokesperson told ATTN: over email in response to these reports. "We encourage all businesses to exercise caution in reporting and interpreting these figures.”

Reporters at Slate and Politico pointed out that the Trumps' newest hotel brand could suggest that the family name isn't bringing in the big bucks.

Unveiled in late September, the hotel is called "Scion" and lacks the signature Trump nameplate. From Politico:

"For decades, everything sold by the company — even the water and the sheets — bore the Trump name. Last month, though, the company did an about-face, launching a hotel brand — Scion — that will offer the Trump experience minus the Trump moniker."

“We wanted a name that would be a nod to the Trump family and to the tremendous success it has had with its businesses, including Trump Hotels, while allowing for a clear distinction between our luxury and lifestyle brands,” Trump Hotels CEO Eric Danziger said in a press release.

You can read the full report on the New York Times.

ATTN: also reached out to the Donald Trump campaign and will update this post as necessary.

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