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- Chris Christie Inadvertently Gives Dems The Key To Beating Trump In A Debate
- Zelenskyy Visits White House In First Post-Invasion Trip
- Cassidy Hutchinson, Jan. 6 witness, recounts pressure campaign from Trump allies
- Jan. 6 Committee Shares 34 Witness Transcripts, Set To Release 800-Page Report
Neither company promised to stop the donations, though Boeing encouraged lawmakers “to work with President-elect Biden to unify our nation” on Jan. 7, 2021. Home Depot’s political action committee has donated almost $2.125 million to candidates this election cycle with candidates of both parties receiving money, according to Federal Elections Commission data. The massive, damning report comes as Trump is running again for the presidency and also facing multiple federal investigations, including probes of his role in the insurrection and the presence of classified documents at his Florida estate. This week is particularly fraught for him, as a House committee is expected to release his tax returns after he has fought for years to keep them private.
Twitter user Robert A Schimke, on the other hand, said he would stop shopping at the store, but apologized for the impact the boycott might have on other people. "I'm sorry for any non-Trump supporters that are collateral damage from this soon to be widespread national boycott," he added. As the news spread through social media, the hashtag #BoycottHomeDepot began trending on Twitter.
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Directly after the insurrection, the Senate held a vote to certify the 2020 presidential election results, with 147 Republican lawmakers objecting, claiming wide-scale voter fraud claims pushed by Trump. The billionaire, an avid supporter of the president, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionin June that while he didn’t “agree with every move” Trump has made, he has still “produced more than anybody else” while in the White House. "I'm heading out tomorrow to shop my heart out at their store. Thank you Home Depot for supporting President Trump."
In July of 2019, Marcus showed support of Trump, and leftists launched an online campaign to attempt to cancel the hardware retailer. The campaign caught the attention of Mr. Trump, who fired off three tweets Tuesday night slamming the boycott. In his tweets, Mr. Trump called Marcus a "truly great, patriotic & charitable man" who contributed to "your favorite President." "Bernie retired from The Home Depot more than 15 years ago and isn't speaking on behalf of the company," Home Depot spokeswoman Margaret Smith said in a media statement.
Chris Christie Inadvertently Gives Dems The Key To Beating Trump In A Debate
But, as conservatives have pointed out, there are a few logical inconsistencies in the boycott movement. Marcus, who co-founded The Home Depot in Georgia with Arthur Blank, has a history of supporting conservative political candidates. A Fox News article in 2019 said Marcus announced he would support former President Donald Trump in his 2020 re-election campaign. The 90-year-old billionaire reportedly donated to Trump's 2016 campaign, as well. "Bernie retired from The Home Depot about 20 years ago and does not speak on behalf of the company," a Home Depot spokesperson told Newsweek in a statement.
The report also describes how Trump rhetorically mobilized far-right extremists and conspiracy theorists into a loose but well-organized coalition of protesters primed to attack the Capitol. At least one leader of “Stop the Steal,” right-wing provocateur Ali Alexander, was in contact with Trump fundraiser Caroline Wren and believed he had the blessing of the White House to lead rally attendees in a march, he told the committee. The elector plan was characterized by ex-White House Deputy Counsel Pat Philbin as one of the many “bad theories” that popped up in the West Wing-like “Whac-a-Mole” in the weeks following the election. Former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone told the committee he agreed with this characterization.
Zelenskyy Visits White House In First Post-Invasion Trip
Home Depot spokeswoman Margaret Smith said in a statement to NPR that Marcus retired more than a decade ago and is not speaking on behalf of the company. "In fact, as a standard practice, the company does not endorse Presidential candidates," she said. Home Depot Responds To Calls For Boycott Over Co-Founder's Support For Trump Bernie Marcus said he was backing Trump's 2020 presidential bid, prompting a backlash against the home improvement giant.
Angry Democrats saw the Home Depot co-founder supporting Trump and launched the #BoycottHomeDepot campaign, despite Marcus retiring from the company in 2002. Marcus said he is voting for Trump because he believes that with a second term the president "can improve the small business climate even further, facilitating entrepreneurship, which accelerates economic growth and provides careers to those who need them most." "Trump's pro-growth policies, including tax cuts and deregulation, have given entrepreneurs the opportunity and capital to hire, expand, and raise wages," Marcus wrote in the op-ed. "This has created a roaring and resilient small business economy that can quickly bounce back from the pandemic shock." "Now, do I agree with every move that he makes? No, I don't. But the truth is he has produced more than anybody else. He has. If we look at this country, I would say that we are better off today than we were eight years ago or six years ago."
Home Depot Responds To Calls For Boycott Over Co-Founder's Support For Trump
As for the plan to direct money to Lowe’s, that’s also problematic, as Lowe’s spends a vast majority of its political donations on pro-business Republicans, as documented by Open Secrets. "The Home Depot's PAC hasn't donated to Herschel Walker's or Raphael Warnock's campaigns," the statement said. "The company has not contributed to this campaign. The contribution was from our co-founder Bernie Marcus, who left The Home Depot more than 20 years ago." Many spoke out on social media, with one user tweeting, "Home Depot is now the biggest corporate donor to Trump's & GOP's 2020 election deniers. Shop Lowes which has a loyal American president and organization." The 90-year-old donated more than $7 million to Trump's 2016 presidential run, according to OpenSecrets, a project of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
The decision to support election-denier candidates stands in contrast with the strong public stance initially taken by several of the corporations in the wake of the 6 January 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol. “Voters’ rejection of numerous election objectors at the polls should send a clear message to corporations that prioritizing political influence over a healthy democracy could threaten their own bottom line,” Herrig said. Most of his fortune, which is estimated to total roughly $4.53 billion, will go to philanthropic causes and some will go to President Trump's reelection campaign, writes Matt Kempner for The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Although Franklin's tweet and the hashtag #BoycottHomeDeport received significant support, it was less popular than last year's campaign and many disagreed with the boycott effort.
In the 2022 cycle the Boeing Company Pac contributed $418,000 to support Republican candidates who had been vocal in forwarding lies questioning the validity of the 2020 presidential election. At the top of the list of 20 corporations backing election deniers through their political action committees is a familiar name in the world of rightwing agitating – Koch Industries. According to the Accountable.US review, the Koch energy conglomerate spent $771,000 through its Pac on Republican candidates with a track record of casting doubt on elections. In a recent interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Marcus said that after he dies he will give between 80 to 90% of his estimated $5.9 billion fortune to various charitable causes. But, as highlighted by Business Insider, in the meantime, some of his money will also go to political causes and candidates, including President Trump’s re-election campaign.
But Marcus' support drew a new wave of scrutiny after he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month that he planned to donate to Mr. Trump's 2020 campaign. Marcus said he stood by the president even though he thought Mr. Trump's communication "sucks." Most of his donations, however, have gone to philanthropic causes over political ones, though he plans to donate more to political causes in the future.
"In fact, as a standard practice, the company does not endorse Presidential candidates." Scott Perry received support from the Kochs, AT&T, Boeing and other corporations in his successful campaign to hold onto his House seat in Pennsylvania. Perry was deeply involved in attempts to block Biden’s victory in 2020, and in the weeks after January 6 sought a presidential pardon from Trump.
Commenting on the race on Monday, one Twitter user called for people to boycott Home Depot. A critic of abortion, Walker has denied the allegations and said he plans to sue the publication. Walker has received sharp criticism from his son, Christian Walker, on Twitter.
Home Depot co-founder writes op-ed explaining why he's endorsing Trump, Democrats launch boycott campaign
Over the last 14 months, Home Depot has been buffeted from all sides of the political debate. The Georgia-based company also faced pressure as its home state considered a restrictive voting law that opponents argue disenfranchises Black and Hispanic voters. Home Depot told the Washington Post it was “aligned” with those raising concerns about the law but said it didn't oppose the proposed voting restrictions themselves. Home Depot donated millions to Donald Trump while Lowe's donated $25 million to help the minority-owned businesses to reopen.
Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus endorsed Donald Trump for president and contributed financially to Trump's presidential campaigns. Lowe's was giving $25 million in grant money to minority-owned businesses reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while the founder of Home Depot gave millions to U.S. He told the Journal-Constitution that he has given away some $2 billion to philanthropic causes worldwide and plans to donate the bulk of his wealth after his death.
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