Goodyear under fire from Trump for MAGA hat ban and Canada has an opinion
Goodyear has caught United States President Donald Trump's attention, and not in a good way.
On Wednesday, Trump took to Twitter to blast the famous tire company for supposedly telling employees that they could not wear "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) hats to work.
With this being the U.S. president's campaign slogan during the 2016 presidential race, he told his 85.3 million followers to avoid the company.
Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES - They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for far less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats do. Two can play the same game, and we have to start playing it now!).
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2020
His tweet came after a Goodyear worker shared a photo from a diversity training session of a slide that said employees are allowed to wear "Black Lives Matter" attire or attire that supports LGBTQ rights but nothing that shows support for "Blue Lives Matter, "All Lives Matter," or MAGA.
Never buy or use Goodyear AGAIN! Conservatives are not welcome there! https://t.co/v94DnDNvjN
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) August 19, 2020
Following Trump's call to boycott the company, Goodyear released a statement in clarification, stating that the photo created misconceptions about their policies.
They said that they ask employees to refrain from "workplace expressions in support of political campaigning for any candidate or political party" in order to create an environment free from harassment or discrimination.
Yesterday, Goodyear became the focus of a conversation that created some misconceptions about our policies and our company. Goodyear has always wholeheartedly supported both equality and law enforcement and will continue to do so. pic.twitter.com/oO6jUg2rTR
— Goodyear (@goodyear) August 19, 2020
The employee who took the photo told WIBW that he saw it at the Topeka, Kansas, branch and that the training slides come from the main office in Akron, Ohio.
"If someone wants to wear a BLM shirt in here, then cool. I'm not going to get offended about it. But at the same time, if someone's not going to be able to wear something that is politically based, even in the farthest stretch of the imagination, that's discriminatory," the employee said.
With facilities that manufacture tires in Canada, the company is also receiving backlash from some of their Canadian customers.
Even if only one (Topeka) location made these claims, it reflects on the entire company. US has had to tolerate hate, rioting & defund police, over the actions of a few officers......not fair when it happens to you @Goodyear eh? Boycott in Canada too. 🇨🇦https://t.co/G66jiHAP3Q
— Hilda Hardy (@HildaHa05771304) August 19, 2020
Others are showing their support by suggesting that Canadians only buy tires made by Goodyear or that Goodyear completely relocates.
Hey @goodyear come to Canada. I can guarantee @JustinTrudeau will never announce a boycott on his official @Twitter account. @DeputyPM_Canada
— Sue (@mrsozzie) August 19, 2020
"Hey Goodyear - bring your factories and jobs to Canada. We love honest and responsible corporate citizens and will give you a stable business environment to be proud of!" another person wrote.
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