Under Armour is facing a social media backlash and boycott threats after CEO Kevin Plank described President Trump as “an asset.”
Speaking on CNBC’s “Halftime Report,” Plank said, “To have such a pro-business president is something that is a real asset for the country.”
Plank met with Trump in the White House on January 23 along with other business leaders including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and executives from Dow Chemical, Dell and GE to talk about manufacturing and job creation in the U.S.
Plank went on to say, “He wants to build things. He wants to make bold decisions and be really decisive.” He added, “I’m a big fan of people that operate in the world of ‘publish and iterate’ versus ‘think, think, think, think, think’, so there’s a lot that I respect there.”
Twitter was flooded with people announcing they would no longer buy Under Armour merchandise following the endorsement. Facing a growing backlash Wednesday, including a #BoycottUnderArmour hashtag on social media, the Baltimore-based company issued a statement in which it said, “We engage in policy, not politics.”
“We have teammates from different religions, races, nationalities, genders and sexual orientations; different ages, life experiences and opinions,” Under Armour said. “This is the core of our company. At Under Armour, our diversity is our strength, and we will continue to advocate for policies that Protect Our House, our business, our team, and our community.”
The incident drew more attention late Wednesday after, one of the company’s most highly paid ambassadors, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, expressed concern about whether Plank sent the right message about being “inclusive.”
Of Trump being called an “asset,” Curry told the San Jose Mercury News. “I agree with that description, if you remove the ‘et.’ ”
Curry said Plank later stressed to him that his comments were solely from a business perspective, but also indicated he would cut ties with the company if “the leadership is not in line with my core values.”
Photo courtesy Under Armour
