After Nordstrom tweet, president’s counselor gives ‘free commercial’
Feb 9, 2017, 8:10 AM | Updated: 11:26 am
Conway tells Americans to ‘buy Ivanka’s stuff’
First, President Donald Trump criticized Nordstrom for cutting his daughter’s clothing line from the company’s inventory. Then, Press Secretary Sean Spicer defended the president’s remarks — and tweet.
Now, the president’s counselor is telling us to purchase Ivanka Trump’s “stuff.”
“It’s a wonderful line. I own some of it,” Conway said Thursday morning.
Conway went as far as to say she was giving a “free commercial.”
Politico points out that the counselor’s remarks may “violate the executive branch’s ban on staff endorsing products or companies.”
The Associated Press reports the House Oversight chairman called Conway’s promotion “clearly over the line” and “unacceptable.”
Original story
Hours after President Donald Trump criticized Nordstrom for dropping his daughter’s clothing line, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the president has “every right to stand up for his family.”
“This was less about his family’s business than an attack on his daughter,” Spicer said. “He ran for president. He won. He’s leading this country. And I think for people to take out their concerns about his actions or his executive orders on members of his family, he has every right to stand up for his family and applaud their business activities, their success…”
Earlier on Wednesday, President Trump made clear how much he dislikes like how Nordstrom is treating his daughter Ivanka.
On Wednesday morning, Trump tweeted that the Seattle-based department store treated Ivanka “unfairly” by dropping her from the company’s clothing line.
My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2017
Related: Washington vs Trump: What happens now
Nordstrom announced it will stop selling Ivanka Trump clothing and accessories based on brand performance. Each year the chain cuts about 10 percent and refreshes its assortment of items.
“In this case, based on the brand’s performance we’ve decided not to buy it for this season,” the company said in a statement.
“We’ve said all along we make buying decisions based on performance,” said Nordstrom in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. “We’ve got thousands of brands— more than 2,000 offered on the site alone. Reviewing their merit and making edits is part of the regular rhythm of our business.”
After Trump publicly criticized the company on Twitter, stocks took “a brief tumble.” Shares traded for approximately $42.70 prior to the tweet, and dropped to $42.48 after. Stocks recovered before noon on the East Coast.
Adding to Trump’s frustration is the possibility of Neiman Marcus pulling back on the label, The Associated Press reports.
A social media campaign called “Grab Your Wallet” is encouraging a boycott of stores that stock Trump-related products.
Despite the outrage from the president over social media, the senior director of marketing at Ivanka Trump said the brand is actually expanding and there has been significant revenue growth in the past year.
“We believe that the strength of a brand is measured not only by the profits it generates but the integrity it maintains,” said Young in the statement. “The women behind the brand represent a diverse group of professionals and we are proud to say that the Ivanka Trump brand continues to embody the principles upon which it was founded.”
