Before being sworn in as President, Donald Trump was tweeting at Boeing and Carrier about business practices and costs. It was somewhat cringe-worthy, but since he held no official role in government, it ultimately didn’t matter.
That all changed when Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States. Earlier today he tweeted the following:
My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2017
This is in response to Nordstrom’s notice that they’re going to stop carrying daughter (and administration adviser) Ivanka’s clothing line in their stores. Nordstrom says their decision was based on business saying Trump’s clothing line is not selling well enough to justify keeping the clothing in their stores. Some are saying the decision is political, but there’s no evidence to suggest that. These kinds of decisions are made all the time, especially in retail. If a product is not moving, you remove it from the racks and shelves for something that will sell.
The President of the United States, with that tweet, is attempting to bully a company that stopped doing business with a family member who happens to work in his administration. If this is not crossing an ethical line, then what does it look like to do so? What happens when Eric and Donald Trump Jr. have an issue with another company? Will Dad call them out as well? When does it end?
Doing the right thing, in this case, would be saying nothing.
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