Petition for Macy's to dump Trump gains traction
Donald Trump's proposed immigration policies aren't good for his economy.
A petition on MoveOn.org calling for Macy's department stores to drop the presidential hopeful's merchandise, which includes among other things, piñatas, had gathered close to a million signatures by Tuesday afternoon.
The petition, authored by Angelo Carusone, executive vice president of the left-leaning organization Media Matters, is putting pressure on Macy's to "sever ties" with Trump and drop his lines of spring water, Donald J. Trump Collection clothing, and the Empire by Trump fragrance line.
"Donald Trump is a bigot," it says in the petition's text. "He does not believe in equal rights for women or 'minorities'... If Macy's is NOT a prejudice business then they must get Trump out of their business and advertising IMMEDIATELY!"
Media Matters' Carusone has previously taken aim at Trump and his Macy's merchandise with a petition in 2012 that called for the chain store to dump his products following Trump's crusade against Barack Obama's legitimacy as a U.S. citizen in the "birther" hoopla.
On Monday, NBC essentially fired Trump as host of "The Celebrity Apprentice," and refused to air the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, due to comments he made about Mexican immigrants in his first presidential campaign speech. "At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values," it said in the official statement Monday.
In the fallout since his remarks, Univision was the first to cancel the Trump-produced Miss USA pageant; the pageant's planned hosts Roselyn Sanchez, Cristian De La Fuente and now Cheryl Burke have resigned; and in retaliation Trump sent a letter to Univision banning its employees from using his Miami golf course.
In response to the first petition in 2012, Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren said in an email "we respect your opinion and those who have signed the petition...Many individuals associated with the products sold at Macy's - or any retailer, for that matter - express personal opinions that are not related to the merchandise we sell or to the philosophies of our company. That is the nature of a free society."