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Are President Trump’s tweets and calls for a boycott hurting Nike? – Metro US

Are President Trump’s tweets and calls for a boycott hurting Nike?

Last week, Nike unveiled an ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, the erstwhile NFL player who popularized kneeling during the National Anthem to protest racism, and President Trump publicized a boycott of the company.

“Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts,” tweeted Trump on Sept. 5. “I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way? As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch, and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!”

On social media, some have shared images of burning or disposed-of Nike shoes. So has the ad campaign, and Trump’s support, hurt Nike’s sales?

Have Trump’s tweets hurt Nike?

No. Nike sales have risen 31 percent year-over-year, from Sunday through Tuesday during the Labor Day Holiday, said Edison Trends.

Nike’s campaign commemorates the 30th anniversary of its iconic slogan, “Just do it.” The campaign kicked off on Sept. 3, with Kaepernick tweeting, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt.”

Two NFL seasons ago, Kaepernick led players in kneeling on the sidelines during the pregame National Anthem to protest racial injustice. The resulting controversy was seized upon by Trump who, as president, has called kneeling players “sons of bitches” who should be “thrown out” of games. After Kaepernick became a free agent at the end of the 2016-17 season, he was not offered a spot with another NFL team.

Some political observers have reacted to the president’s moves with dismay, accusing him of disingenuousness and pointing out that his actions technically violate federal law.

Trump sees the controversy as a winning political issue for him and returns to it frequently. The president has obscured the original purpose of taking a knee during the National Anthem — nonviolent protest of racism — by depicting it as “disrespecting the flag.” Trump’s political base, which has supported the president despite, and because of, his racist statements, responds in support, most recently with the Nike boycott.

It has been pointed out that Trump may have an ax to grind with the NFL. For years in the ’80s and ’90s, he attempted to buy or launch an NFL team but was rebuffed.

By speaking out against a private company, Trump is technically in violation of the Hatch Act, a federal law that prevents politicians from using their political platform to do just that.