Nordstrom Defends Move To Drop Ivanka Trump Clothing Line
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Nordstrom shares dipped briefly Wednesday after President Donald Trump tweeted that the department store chain had treated his daughter "so unfairly."
The company announced last week it would stop selling Ivanka Trump's clothing and accessory line, saying that was based on the sales performance of the first daughter's brand.
The president's tweet said: "My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by (at)Nordstrom. She is a great person -- always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!" It was re-tweeted more than 4,000 times in less than 30 minutes.
Shares in Seattle-based Nordstrom traded around $42.70 before the tweet, then fell to $42.48 before ultimately closing up 4 percent.
Addressing reporters at the White House on Wednesday afternoon, Spicer also defended the president's tweet, saying that Nordstrom's decision to remove Ivanka Trump products was a "direct attack on his policies."
Nordstrom dropping Ivanka Trump's line is "a direct attack on [Pres. Trump's] policies," @PressSec says: https://t.co/Okz2bwUl4f pic.twitter.com/VDvC9E0EHJ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 8, 2017
On Wednesday, users on Twitter replied to the president. Some users on Twitter criticized Trump for weighing in on a private business while serving as president, while others called for a boycott of Nordstrom.
A few critics suggested - based upon the tweet's time stamp - that Trump posted it at some point during his daily intelligence briefing - an allegation vehemently denied by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
Nordstrom, in a statement that soon followed Spicer's comments, repeated an earlier statement saying the decision to drop the Ivanka Trump line was "based on performance."
The retailer's move follows a months-long consumer campaign dubbed #GrabYourWallet that calls on shoppers to boycott any companies that carry Trump-branded merchandise.
CBS2's Danielle Gersh spoke to shoppers Wednesday and the opinions were mixed.
"I don't care," said one woman.
"I think it's a good thing," said another.
A man felt that "I don't think she should be subject to his issues."
Gail Dorfman of Woodland Hills said, "I'm glad they took a stand. If that's what they were doing."
It also comes more than a month after Ivanka Trump and her family were harassed on a flight to San Francisco.
Trump's tweets have in the past also affected shares in U.S. automakers, Boeing and Carrier.
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