8.26.19: Nation – (Politics): In early July, Home Depot went into crisis management mode as it fought off calls to boycott its offerings due to perceived ties with U.S. President Donald J. Trump.
The publicly-traded billion-dollar company released a statement noting that Mr. Bernie Marcus, its co-founder who had retired from the company over a decade ago and who has pledged to support the president’s re-election efforts, was not speaking on behalf of the home-improvement superstores.
A month later, it was Soul Cycle and Equinox, two luxury fitness brands, that were glared upon by hostile consumers. Mr. Stephen Ross, the chairman of the company that owns a majority stake in the swanky gyms, announced he would be hosting a high-dollar fundraiser for Mr. Trump. Amid calls to boycott, Soul Cycle and Equinox swiftly issued statements that aimed to distance themselves from the embattled executive.
And just this weekend, #BoycottOliveGarden – a hashtag that began on August 8th when it was wrongly included among a list of restaurants that were reportedly supporting Mr. Trump – trended on Twitter. Olive Garden on Monday morning tweeted that the company “does not donate to presidential candidates.”
Clearly, there are Americans who loathe the president.
In 2018, the American news media seemingly at-large labeled Mr. Trump as historically unpopular.
“President Donald Trump’s 39 percent job approval rating average during the first two years of his term is the lowest of any president since World War II,” wrote Jessica Kwong for Newsweek.
And not much has changed since.
While Mr. Trump maintains favor among Republicans, his current overall approval numbers hover at around 40 percent, according to polls.
Many consumers today perceive any executive who befriends and supports the president as an accomplice in the continuation of a dangerous regime that stokes racial tensions and jeopardizes key relationships across the globe. And as such, mostly all the businessmen and women who stand proudly with the president, and who aid his re-election efforts, are treated with disdain, as are the brands they represent. However, one famous executive so far seems immune to the cancel culture that’s besieged allies of the president: Mr. Vince McMahon.
Mr. McMahon is the chairman of WWE, a publicly-traded, globally recognized sports-entertainment company. But more importantly, Mr. McMahon is a longtime friend and business associate of Mr. Trump.
In 1989 and 1990, the-then World Wrestling Federation held WrestleMania IV and V at the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall. The main sponsor for both years’ event was The Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino.
Nearly two decades later, at WrestleMania 23, a hair vs hair match occurred between Mr. McMahon and Mr. Trump, with Umaga and Bobby Lashley serving as proxies, respectively. Umaga lost the match, at which point Mr. Trump shaved the chairman’s head. The mainstream media that this spectacle garnered was sizable.
Mr. Trump’s long-term relationship with the McMahons and his unprecedented performance in 2007 earned him a spot in the celebrity wing of WWE’s Hall of Fame in 2013.
Fast forward to 2017, and Mr. Trump is the occupant of The White House. His choice for Small Business Administrator is Mrs. Linda McMahon, the wife of the aforementioned sports-entertainment magnate.
The former CEO of WWE, Mrs. McMahon earlier this year resigned her post in order to serve on the board of America First, a pro-Trump super PAC supporting the president’s 2020 reelection bid.
Despite the ever-present controversies surrounding Mr. Trump – Charlottesville, families separated at the border with kids then held in cages, and him telling four Congresswoman of color to “go back” to their countries, just to name a few – the McMahons haven’t wavered in their support of the former reality television star. Even more remarkable, their steadfastness appears to have no social consequences.
WWE in March of 2018 signed a 10-year deal with Saudi Arabia’s General Sports Authority, which is estimated to be worth nearly a half-a-billion dollars. In June of 2018, the company inked a five-year, $1.025 billion deal with Fox Sports. And just this month, WWE announced that their NXT brand will air live on the USA Network every Wednesday at 8 pm EST.
Mr. McMahon doesn’t try to hide away his friendship with Mr. Trump and yet he’s prospering in the absence of a widespread political controversy. All the while, his billionaire counterparts, who, too, support the president, are battling a ubiquitous moral crusade.
But anything can happen. As a consumer-driven anti-Trump fervor strengthens, and as WWE faces its first real competitor in nearly two decades, the company’s immunity could dissipate.
One day soon, it just may be, WWE vs the people.
Thanks for reading! Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® and I’m Drumming for Justice!™
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