CNN
By MJ Lee
July 1, 2015
Macy's
is pulling Donald Trump brand merchandise from its stores after the
Republican presidential candidate's recent controversial remarks created
a public uproar.
The
department store has come under intense pressure to cut ties with the
real estate magnate and businessman after he referred to immigrants from
Mexico and other countries
"killers and rapists."
In
a statement Wednesday morning, Macy's said the company "stands for
diversity" and that it had no tolerance for discrimination.
"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," Macy's said. "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."
Macy's
carries a variety of Donald Trump brand attire, including dress shirts,
neckties and cuff links. Trump has also appeared in Macy's commercials.
A
MoveOn.org petition calling on Macy's to sever its relationship with
Trump had collected well over 700,000 signatures as of Wednesday
morning.
"Donald
Trump does not reflect 'the magic of Macy's,'" the petition reads.
"Macy's says it has a strong obligation to be 'socially responsible' and
that 'actions speak
louder than words.' Indeed. It's time to act."
Real
estate developer and entrepreneur Donald Trump has been in the
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campaigning for the U.S. presidency,
see how he's shaped his empire.
Angelo
Carusone, who started the "Dump Trump" movement in 2012 to protest
Trump's "birther" theories about President Barack Obama and launched the
Macy's petition, lauded
the department store for making the "right decision."
"The
statement itself (from Macy's) basically confirms what we've been
saying since day one: His brand, which is bigoted bullying, is
inconsistent with Macy's brand,"
Carusone, the executive vice president of Media Matters, told CNN.
"There's a line between being very opinionated and expressing yourself
and communicating that and being reckless and destructive."
This is not the first fallout for Trump, who launched his White House bid in mid-June.
Last
week, Univision announced that it would cancel its telecast of the Miss
USA pageant, which is partially owned by Trump, and that it would cut
all business ties with
him.
NBCUniversal,
which had jointly owned the Miss USA pageant and Miss Universe pageant
with Trump, has also severed its relationship with the brash White House
candidate.
Trump was also the host of "Celebrity Apprentice," which airs on NBC,
and will no longer be a part of the reality TV show.
Trump
said in a statement that it was his decision to terminate his
relationship with Macy's, and accused both the department store and NBC
for supporting illegal immigration.
"Both
Macy's and NBC totally caved at the first sight of potential difficulty
with special interest groups who are nothing more than professional
agitators, who are not
looking out for the people they purport to represent, but only for
themselves. It is people like this that are actually running our country
because our leaders are weak and ineffective," Trump said.
Macy's denied Trump's claim that it was the retailer's decision to sever ties.
"It was Macy's decision," a spokesman said in an email to CNN.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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