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Should Goodyear tires be canceled after Blue Lives Matter and MAGA debate? Here's how Biden contradicted Trump

On August 19, Trump called for a boycott of Goodyear Tire, accusing them of banning his 'Make America Great Again' campaign hats

Cancel culture shows no signs of going away. In fact, the latest person to join this bandwagon is President Donald Trump. On August 19, he called for a boycott of the American company Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co (GT.O), accusing them of banning his 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) campaign hats. This was shortly after a report on an NBC affiliate's website in Wisconsin about a Goodyear training session in Ohio concerning political attire. During the training session, it reportedly unveiled the company's new "zero-tolerance" policy against MAGA attire, "Blue Lives Matter" and "All Lives Matter", among others.

Now, the company has issued a new statement clearing its stance. They stated, "First, the visual in question was not created or distributed by Goodyear corporate, nor was it part of a diversity training class." The statement says the company has zero tolerance for any kind of discrimination and harassment. They further stated, "To enable a work environment free of those, we ask that  associates refrain from workplace expressions in support of political campaigning for any candidate or political party, as well as similar forms of advocacy that fall outside the scope of racial justice and equity issues." They also made it clear, "Goodyear has always wholeheartedly supported both equality and law enforcement and will continue to do so."

According to a report in The Hill, after Potus' tweet, the stock prices of the Ohio-based company fell by almost 3.5 per cent. The report states, at the time of the tweet, shares were around $9.60, then it fell to $9.32 after the tweet and finally closed at $9.50.

The company, however, got presidential candidate Joe Biden’s backing. Biden slammed Trump’s call for boycotting the company and issued a statement. As quoted by News5 Cleveland, Biden said, "Goodyear employs thousands of American workers, including in Ohio where it is headquartered. To President Trump, those workers and their jobs aren't a source of pride, just collateral damage in yet another one of his political attacks." He further stated, "President Trump doesn’t have a clue about the dignity and worth that comes with good-paying union jobs at places like Goodyear — jobs that can support a family and sustain a community. And even after 170,000 have died due to his mismanaged response to this pandemic, President Trump still keeps taking his eyes off the ball, getting distracted by petty political grievances instead of doing his job and stopping the virus."

Biden concluded by saying, "Here’s the deal: when I’m President, we’re going to make made-in-America real again. We're going to stand up to unfair competition, just like we did with Chinese tires in the Obama-Biden Administration, and we’re going to make major investments in American manufacturing and innovation so our factories and our workers can outcompete the world for generations to come."

Soon, Twitter was buzzing with a variety of opinions on the matter. One tweeted, "What kind of S**THOLE president boycotts American companies like #Goodyear during a financial crisis? Notice the Goodyear tires on the beast #BidenHarrisToSaveAmerica."

Politician Dean Browning tweeted, "Goodyear, the tire company that produced what has been called 'the deadliest tire ever made' just released it's Diversity Training manifesto which supports BLM and LGBT but NOT Blue Lives Matter or MAGA! In other words 'we're racist, but in a good way'. #BoycottGoodyear."

Another tweeted, "I never thought I'd see an American president tell the country to boycott an American company.... for any reason. If I had the money, I'd buy 100 Goodyear tires just to make a f***ing point."

Columnist and lawyer Kurt Schlichter said, "Love how you keep people from replying, @goodyear. That’s probably because this is the most weaselly thing I’ve ever had the misfortune to read and I’m a freaking lawyer. You’re going to have to do better than this. This is not an explanation much less an apology."

One tweeted, "@goodyear I support your company and it’s policies. Thank you for standing up to our bully of a president."

Another user tweeted, "If I worked at Goodyear, I’d show up to work today with a Blue Lives matter shirt, an All Lives matter face mask, and a MAGA hat. Then wait to be fired so I could sue the heII out of them and retire both early and rich."

A CNN report states, the president's limousine — Beast — has custom Goodyear Tires. When it was pointed out in a news conference on August 19, the president is quoted by CNN as saying, "I would swap them out, based on what I heard. We'll see what happens. You're going to have a lot of people not wanting to buy that product anymore, and they'll buy from a competitor, made in the USA."

The CNN report also highlights that at one point in a July 3 speech at Mount Rushmore, Trump has criticized the 'cancel' culture. The report quoted him as saying, "One of their political weapons is 'cancel culture' — driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and our values, and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America."