Americans are burning, trashing, returning, dumping and donating their New Balance sneakers, after the brand became the first major sportswear label to publicly back President-elect Trump.
It’s a weird one, but in a statement provided to Washington Post reporter Sara Germano by New Balance’s VP of public affairs, the company explained that it felt like Trump was moving things “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”
— Sara Germano (@germanotes) November 9, 2016
The statement doesn’t explain why, but Germano guessed that it relates to Trump’s plans to kill off the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which New Balance has publicly spoken out against.
NB fans, disappointed in the brand’s extremely quick move to support a president who ran his campaign on hate-mongering and fear, are now dumping the brand faster than Trump’s gonna dump Obamacare.
@SoleCollector @newbalance pic.twitter.com/6dROPnmYdm
— Jean Ralphio (@MMArtinitus) November 10, 2016
@MMArtinitus @tabgirl @SoleCollector @newbalance pic.twitter.com/RqATjNBalu
— kiemzi (@kiemzi) November 10, 2016
@SoleCollector @newbalance good to know. I made a little bonfire tonight 🙂 pic.twitter.com/yOdCTbQgac
— #calexit (@milftears) November 10, 2016
@SoleCollector @newbalance pic.twitter.com/HO6FWKNTjc
— Gildan King (@jaredgreenberg3) November 10, 2016
@SoleCollector @newbalance pic.twitter.com/DAtVuN5Qnp
— austin (@uglytrashboy) November 10, 2016
@newbalance here’s to moving in the right direction. Never again will I or any of my family ever buy #newbalance pic.twitter.com/5OOhaO9gln
— Brandon (@DadofGabriel) November 10, 2016
Returned my @newbalance shoes to your new San Francisco store pic.twitter.com/AFACKpy8tM
— Matt (@2_up) November 10, 2016
@newbalance Just bought my daughter a pair of NB shoes yesterday. She loves them but they’re going back today. We have principles.
— DJ1028 (@Dj1028Peck) November 10, 2016
@newbalance I’m donating every pair I own and never buying another pair ever again. Bye. ????
— Xavier (@XavierKAvila) November 10, 2016
@newbalance I’m pretty excited about never buying your products again.
— Ferdinand Kingsley (@ferdosnandos) November 10, 2016
@newbalance fuck you and everything you stand for
— Sophia Benoit (@1followernodad) November 10, 2016
.@newbalance Don’t preach about community & then support someone who has disrespected nearly every minority community #TrumpProtest
— Matt Franks (@MattCFranks) November 10, 2016
@newbalance pic.twitter.com/OQ99ffTgzu
— Breanne (@BreezyBreee3) November 10, 2016
Sensing that it had maaaaybe jumped the gun with this pro-Trump thing, New Balance put out a statement saying that the company “believes in community” and “in acting with the upmost integrity”, which most fans are regarding as too little, too late, and just a little bit too inaccurate.
— New Balance (@newbalance) November 10, 2016
@newbalance #NewBalance #ReadBetweenTheLines pic.twitter.com/LRpCBrCdcd
— M.T. Rubens (@MichaelTRubens) November 10, 2016
Heads up: if any of Americans are reading this, www.donateyouroldshoes.org will make sure your old shoes go to those less fortunate.
Photo: Twitter.
