Statements from Uber CEO Travis Kalanick criticizing Donald Trump’s immigration ban did not satisfy Uber customers angry that he’s one of the president’s advisers. Mild and jargon-laden statements from U.S. businesses don’t cut it in the Trump era. Employees, customers and activists want business leaders to pick a side. That became increasingly clear over the past week, as businesses grappled with President Donald Trump’s executive order placing new restrictions on immigrants and refugees. There doesn’t seem to be one company actually in favor of the order, which suspends all refugee resettlement for 120 days, bans Syrian refugees indefinitely and suspends travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. Indeed, more than 230 companies ― from Coca Cola to Starbucks to Goldman Sachs ― put out statements opposing it. Yet even companies and CEOs who spoke out or raised objections to the policy found themselves targeted by demonstrations, boycotts and petitions. Any sign you are willing to work with Trump can put you in protesters’ crosshairs. Activists called for a boycott of the Washington-based hoagie chain Taylor Gourmet and labeled its co-founder, Casey Patten, a fascist collaborator after he attended a White House ceremony on small business last week. Patten said he urged Trump to consider his 300-plus workers, more than half of whom are immigrants or the children of immigrants. “My political views don’t lean to one side or another,” he told The Washington Post. Tip: If you like having customers, maybe *don’t* collaborate with a fascist regime that opposes our human rights. Ta ta, @TaylorGourmet! 👋 — Vail Kohnert-Yount (@vailkoyo) January 31, 2017 “It’s going to be harder and harder to sustain an apolitical stance,” said David Bach, an associate dean at Yale’s business school. Typically, companies try and “make nice with the White House,” Bach said. In this political climate, that’s a problem. Take ride-sharing company Uber. Though CEO Travis Kalanick put out a statement opposing Trump’s immigration ban on moral grounds, he’s been savaged as a Trump “collaborator” by customers and activists for sitting on Trump’s CEO advisory board. It didn’t help that over the weekend, Uber lowered its pricing during a taxi protest over the immigration ban in New York City. Customers were outraged: #DeleteUber trended on Twitter. More than 50,000 people so far have signed on to a petition called “Tell Uber: Stop collaborating with Trump.” “I don’t know how many people have deleted the app, but this gives you a sense of how poorly they’ve managed this,” Bach said. “It’s so easy to get this wrong.” The reaction to the immigration ban is the most dramatic sign yet that Trump’s “America first” populism is going to be tough to reconcile with his pro-business posturing. To be sure, there are plenty of companies eagerly anticipating the Trump administration’s promised tax reforms, as The Wall Street Journal notes. And some companies have customers who are more firmly in Trump’s camp. For example, executives from motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson met with the president on Thursday. On Twitter, the responses to that […]
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