Macy's department store announced Wednesday that it had dumped Donald Trump, but the billionaire Republican presidential hopeful insists that he is the one who actually ended the relationship.
The conflicting statements issued Wednesday come as Trump's political star continues to rise, making him a top-tier Republican candidate for president.
Macy's issued a statement saying it is pulling its line of Trump-brand clothing because of his comments about Mexican immigrants during his announcement that he was
running for president earlier this month, according to WPIX 11.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best,"
Trump said in his speech on June 16, noted The Washington Post. "They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
Macy's, following in the footsteps of the Miss USA pageant, said it had received considerable pressure to cut ties with the business mogul who is now trying the win the Republican nomination for president.
"We are disappointed and distressed by recent remarks about immigrants from Mexico," Macy's said in its statement. "We do not believe the disparaging characterizations portray an accurate picture of the many Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and Latinos who have made so many valuable contributions to the success of our nation."
"In light of statements made by Donald Trump, which are inconsistent with Macy's values, we have decided to discontinue our business relationship with Mr. Trump and will phase-out the Trump menswear collection, which has been sold at Macy’s since 2004," the statement continued.
But Trump soon fired back, saying he was the one ending his
relationship with Macy's, noted the New York Daily News.
"I have decided to terminate my relationship with Macy's because of the pressure being put on them by outside sources," Trump's statement read. "While selling Trump ties and shirts at Macy's is a small business in terms of dollar volume, my principles are far more important and therefore much more valuable."
Politically, Trump is growing in popularity amongst conservatives, placing second to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in a
CNN/ORC International poll on Wednesday. Bush led all Republicans in the poll at 19 percent, followed by Trump's 12 percent, and Mike Huckabee's 8 percent.