White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended President Trump’s tweet urging his supporters to boycott Goodyear tires after a diversity training program at the company sparked outrage among his supporters this week.
A photograph of a slide from the training, widely circulated on social media this week, shows “Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, MAGA Attire, Political Affiliated Slogans or Material” as examples of “unacceptable” political speech.
Some conservatives and critics of the Black Lives Matter movement expressed outrage that the company deemed displaying support for BLM or LGBT pride causes as “acceptable.”
Trump reacted to the viral image on Thursday, tweeting: “Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES – They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for far less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats do. Two can play the same game, and we have to start playing it now!).”
Goodyear subsequently released a statement saying the photo in question was not part of the company’s diversity training program and that it does not tolerate discrimination based on political beliefs of any kind.
“Goodyear has always wholeheartedly supported both equality and law enforcement and will continue to do so,” the company said.
At Monday’s White House press briefing, CBS News reporter Paula Reid asked McEnany: “Why is the president retaliating against a private company for their dress code and potentially jeopardizing American jobs?”
“What was clearly targeted was a certain ideology,” McEnany responded.
Reid pressed McEnany, saying what the company was trying to instill in its employees is that racial justice and racial equality are not matters of political speech and therefore can be tolerated.
“They came out and said equity issues,” McEnany said. “As far as I’m concerned, Blue Lives Matter is an equity issue. There have been police officers across this country that have been targeted because they wear the badge.”
Trump has targeted Black Lives Matter, saying it is a Marxist group with a “hateful” anti-police message, sparking further charges of racial insensitivity from his critics.
“I will stand at this podium and say Blue Lives Matter is an equity issue,” McEnany said. “And Goodyear needs to come out and acknowledge that.”
