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Macy's joined Univision and NBC in dropping ties with Donald Trump following widely-criticized comments about Mexicans during his presidential campaign launch. Following the announcement, Trump called for a boycott of the chain:
Those who believe in tight border security, stopping illegal immigration & SMART trade deals w/other countries should boycott @Macys.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 1, 2015
Macy's statement honed in on the matter of celebrating diversity -- a business-related matter as much as a moral one for one the largest national employers. "Macy's is a company that stands for diversity and inclusion. We have no tolerance for discrimination in any form. We welcome all customers," they wrote.
The consumer brand said it will "discontinue" the "business relationship" with Trump -- in the same manner the company might discontinue a poorly-selling casserole dish.
Here's Macy's full statement to CNN on why it's cutting ties with Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/rE9cPLPa2n
— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) July 1, 2015
The statement continued: "We are disappointed and distressed by recent remarks about immigrants from Mexico. We do not believe the disparaging characterizations portray an accurate picture of the many Mexicans, Mexican Americans and Latinos who have made so many valuable contributions to the success of our nation. In light of statements made by Donald Trump, which are inconsistent with Macy's values, we have decided to discontinue our business relationship with Mr. Trump and will phase-out the Trump menswear collection, which has been sold at Macy's since 2004."
He said, they said
Trump, hours after Macy's statement was released, claimed he was the breaker-upper, and not the other way around. Trump has been releasing statements on letterhead as images in Instagram:
The relationship's end reflects the continued backlash against Trump, and no less from a retailer best known for its love of group events, from selling everyone the same pair of reasonable, trendy shoes to hosting, sponsoring, and otherwise enjoying large parades with balloons the size of cars.
Perhaps sales were down, and this was Macy's way of cleaning out the shop? As of last glance, much of Trump's collection is on sale on Macy's website.
