COLUMBUS, Ohio — President Donald Trump called on his supporters Wednesday morning to boycott Akron-based Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. after it was reported the company is prohibiting employees from wearing MAGA hats. 

What You Need To Know

  • Trump called for a boycott of Akron-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in a Wednesday morning tweet

  • The tweet followed a report that Goodyear is restricting employees from wearing MAGA hats

  • Sen. Sherrod Brown called Trump's move "absolutely despicable"

"Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES - They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for far less!" Trump tweeted.

The call for a boycott came after a Kansas TV station reported that the company has instituted a new policy that prohibits employees from wearing MAGA hats as well as Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter and other political attire. 

The report, which cited a Goodyear employee, said Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ Pride attire is acceptable to wear.

Established in 1898 in Akron, the tire maker employs about 3,000 Ohioans at its corporate headquarters in East Akron, which opened in 2013. In addition to the headquarters, the company has an innovation center, a tire proving grounds, a chemicals facility, and a test lab in Akron, as well as a development center in Hebron, Ohio. The company employs 63,000 people worldwide.

Trump’s call for a boycott comes at a particular unfortunate time for Goodyear on the heels of what CEO Richard Kramer described as the most challenging quarter in the company’s 122-year history. Due to shrinking demand for tires amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many salaried Goodyear employees were furloughed and those who were working did so with 10- to 30-percent pay cuts, many of which were voluntary, company executives said in their latest earnings call.

Trump said his supporters should fight fire with fire in response to the other party's strategy of boycotting companies that are seen as acting in opposition to their goals. Commentators quickly attacked Trump as a hypocrite for initiating a boycott despite his opposition to so-called “cancel culture.” 

Goodyear responded to Trump's tweet with a statement that said the company supports law enforcement as well as equality.

In the statement, Goodyear said it asks its employees to refrain from political workplace expressions, though it makes exceptions for messages related to racial justice and equality.

The original report about Goodyear’s policy showed a picture of a graphic that was apparently displayed in a company diversity training session, detailing what employees can and cannot wear. However, Goodyear’s statement said, the visual “was not created or distributed by Goodyear corporate, nor was it part of a diversity training class.”

Taking questions from reporters Wednesday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany called on Goodyear to clarify its policy.

“There was an image that was put out that showed that certain speech was acceptable – Black Lives Matter insignia for instance – but what was not allowed was Blue Lives Matter, what was not allowed was MAGA hats. What was clearly targeted was a certain ideology. They have not denied that that image was presented at one of their facilities,” McEnany said.

In her view, Blue Lives Matter is an equity issue too, and she said the company needs to acknowledge that. Goodyear could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

“There have been police officers across this country that have been targeted because they wear the badge. Look no further than Dallas where five police officers died,” McEnany said.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown said in a CNN interview Wednesday afternoon, Goodyear is an “iconic,” “terrific” company that employs thousands of union workers. About 6,000 Goodyear employees in the U.S. are members of the United Steelworkers (USW) union.

“It is another attack, another betrayal of workers by Trump,” Brown said. “The president just doesn’t seem to care about these workers and he’s going to pay the price in Ohio.” 

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown said in a tweet that Trump's move is "absolutely despicable."

USW reached out to the White House repeatedly in the last year as Goodyear was closing a 90-year-old tire plant in Gadsden, Alabama, putting union members out of work, USW President Tom Conway said in a statement Wednesday.

“It would have been nice if the President would have paid as much attention to that loss of American jobs as he does to his MAGA hats. Maybe a tweet or two back then would have been helpful,” he said. 

The City of Akron tweeted that the community is standing with Goodyear:

State Rep. Tavia Galonski of Akron said “enraged” Goodyear employees have been reaching out to her office all day since the tweet.

“I do not understand trying to cripple an American manufacturer,” she said in a tweet. “Ohio lost 6500 manufacturing jobs this year.”