New Balance, Inc.(NEW YORK) — New Balance is under fire for being one of the first American companies to publicly support Donald Trump’s presidency.
After Trump became U.S. president-elect on Tuesday, Wall Street Journal reporter Sara Germano tweeted that Boston-based New Balance believed business was headed in the “right direction.”
“New Balance: ‘The Obama admin turned a deaf ear to us & frankly w/ Pres-Elect Trump we feel things are going to move in the right direction,'” said the tweet.
New Balance: “The Obama admin turned a deaf ear to us & frankly w/ Pres-Elect Trump we feel things are going to move in the right direction”
— Sara Germano (@germanotes) November 9, 2016
Many New Balance customers took to the athletic shoe company’s Facebook page to rescind their support. Some even posted videos on social media of them burning their New Balance sneakers.
“I respected and supported your company for manufacturing in the United States, no longer after your endorsement of Trump,” said on Facebook user. “Tying your brand to someone who violates labor policy shows how much you really care about your work force.”
New Balance released a statement Thursday that didn’t mention Trump, but said the company welcomed “all walks of life.”
“We believe in community. We believe in humanity,” New Balance said. “From the people who make our shoes to the people who wear them, we believe in acting with the utmost integrity and we welcome all walks of life. Since 1906, we have carved our own path in being passionately committed to making things at our five factories in New England, even when nobody else did. New Balance and our thousands of employees around the world constantly strive to better our local communities. We always have and we always will.”
A Facebook user responded: “I’m not opposed to making products overseas, but you don’t get to play the Made in USA card because a small percentage of your products are made in the US.”
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