The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Trump lashes out at Nordstrom via tweet
Department store says it will no longer carry Ivanka Trump apparel.
WASHINGTON — In January, days before President Donald Trump’s inauguration, his daughter Ivanka Trump declared that she’d be stepping away from her management role at the clothing and shoe brand that bears her name.
And yet, on Wednesday, the president lashed out on Twitter at department store Nordstrom over its decision to stop carrying Ivanka Trump products, saying his daughter “has been treated so unfairly” by the retailing giant.
“My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!”
The social media missive adds to a cloud of confusion swirling around the Trump administration about how the family’s business interests are colliding with Trump’s job at the White House.
Sean Spicer, Trump’s press secretary, defended Trump’s tweet to reporters during a briefing on Wednesday, saying “He has every right to stand up for his family and applaud their business activities, their success.”
Spicer also said, “This is a direct attack on his policies and her name.”
Nordstrom reiterated that its decision to stop carrying Ivanka Trump goods was based on sales results, not politics. Each year, Nordstrom said in its statement, it prunes about 10 percent of the brands it carries based on performance.
It’s not clear why President Trump believes his daughter was treated unfairly by Nordstrom if she is no longer involved in the label’s operations.
But his reproach of the company comes as a growing slate of retailers appear to be backing away from the Ivanka Trump brand. Neiman Marcus is no longer carrying fine jewelry from the
label on its website.
Retailer Belk Inc. said Wednesday it will no longer be carrying the Ivanka Trump brand on its website, but will still offer the merchandise at its stores.
The New York Times reported that TJX Cos., which operates T.J. Maxx, told employees not to display Ivanka Trump goods separately and to discard the brand’s signs, according to a memo obtained by the paper.
TJX spokeswoman Doreen Thompson confirmed the memo and said the communication was “intended to instruct stores to mix this line of merchandise into our racks, not to remove it from the sales floor.” She said that “at this time, we continue to offer the line of merchandise.” Rosemary K. Young, senior director of marketing at Ivanka Trump, said last week that the brand is expanding and saw “significant” revenue growth last year compared to the previous year.
Ivanka Trump has said she would take a leave of absence from her clothing and accessories business as well as the Trump organization.
A campaign called Grab Your Wallet has been urging shoppers to boycott retailers and other companies connected with the Trump family business empire. It encourages consumers to stay away from retailers that carry Ivanka Trump products as well as businesses such as Trump wineries and golf courses.
President Trump’s adult children have been visible figures in the early days of their father’s administration. Ivanka Trump was at the table last week for a gathering of the president’s Business Advisory Council, a meeting that was attended by chief executives of corporate behemoths such as Wal-Mart, Pepsi and IBM. Her brothers, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., appeared recently at the event announcing Neil Gorsuch as President Trump’s pick for an open seat on the Supreme Court.
Moves like these have had critics asking how much distance there is between the president and his family’s business empire.
His sons are running the Trump Organization during his presidency. And while Ivanka has taken a “formal leave of absence” from the Trump Organization, it’s not clear that she has relinquished her financial interests in it.