Trump gives Nordstrom a dressing-down
He says it treated Ivanka and her fashion line ‘unfairly’
Ivanka Trump’s fashion line has suffered a setback. And boy is Dad mad.
President Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday to complain that his daughter has been “treated so unfairly” by the Nordstrom department store chain, which says it will no longer carry her line.
Once again raising questions about mixing politics and the family’s businesses, Trump wrote, “My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!”
Parents are often, and understandably, protective of their children and often step in to defend them when they believe they are wronged. But when the parent is the president of the United States, the response raises more than eyebrows.
Trump is not new to criticizing businesses on the social media platform. The Nordstrom comments mark the latest Twitter blast from Trump, who has taken numer- ous companies to task.
But the Nordstrom tweet raises ethics concerns because it involves his daughter’s business. Trump’s critics said the president has, again, used his position to threaten businesses in an unfair and perhaps illegal manner. In a tweet of his own, Norm Eisen, chief ethics officer for President Obama and co-founder of the organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, broached the idea of a lawsuit.
Nordstrom said in a statement Wednesday that the decision made public last week to drop the fashion line was about falling sales.
Trump didn’t elaborate on what was unfair about Nordstrom’s action, though White House spokesman Sean Spicer later said the president was responding to “an attack on his daughter.”
The president’s tweet didn’t appear to hurt Nordstrom financially; after initially dropping 1%, Nordstrom shares rose more than 4% for the day to close at $44.53, up $1.75.
Nordstrom is not the only retailer that is making changes around Ivanka Trump’s brand. TJX, owner of Marshalls and T.J. Maxx, told staff members last week that they should blend Ivanka Trump products with other store merchandise rather than featuring it on its own.
Ivanka Trump’s fashion line includes shoes and accessories along with jewelry and apparel.
“My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!” President Trump’s tweet