New Balance shoe company is on the defensive after a neo-Nazi website said the company’s shoes were "the official brand of the Trump Revolution" and white people.
In a statement Monday, New Balance said it “does not tolerate bigotry or hate in any form” and disavowed any ties to white supremacist or neo-Nazi groups or ideas, CNN Money reported. The statement came after the white supremacist website The Daily Stormer made the comments about the company and its shoes.
The website was apparently reacting to a statement by New Balance VP of Public Affairs Matt LeBretton who said "things are going to move in the right direction" after Trump becomes president. LeBretton also said Obama and his administration had "turned a deaf ear" to New Balance, according to CNN Money.
In response, some customers burned their shoes and posted about it on social media, but CNN says the firestorm was due to a misinterpretation of LeBretton’s comments, which New Balance said was in reference to the Trans Pacific Partnership, not any social or racial viewpoints.
New Balance makes its shoes in the U.S. despite the higher costs of doing so, and according to Time, feels the Trans Pacific Partnership would lead to fewer American jobs (and more cheap foreign labor), which would not help New Balance compete.
New Balance pointed out it has supported positions on trade by Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders when they were “focused on American manufacturing job creation,” Time reported.
Some still were not satisfied, such as lesbian comedian Cameron Esposito, who asked for alternative shoe recommendations on Twitter.