60,000+ Renew Call for Nike to Dump Trump, Relocate Flagship Niketown Store in NYC Out of Trump Tower

After Trump Brags About Sexual Assault and Faces Mounting Sexual Assault Allegations, Courage Campaign Urges Nike to Sever Ties to Donald Trump After Lease Expires in 2017

NEW YORK — More than 60,000 people are calling on Nike to sever ties with Donald Trump by relocating their flagship NYC Niketown store out of Trump Tower when the lease expires in 2017. Earlier this year, a petition from Courage Campaign called on Nike to sever ties with Trump over his racist, sexist and dangerous campaign rhetoric – but with Trump now facing more than 10 allegations of sexual assault, and having bragged about sexually assaulting women to Billy Bush in a leaked 2005 Access Hollywood video – Courage Campaign is renewing the effort, saying that Nike’s continued association with Trump is unacceptable. 

Nike’s flagship NYC Niketown store currently is in a Trump-owned property, but the lease is set to expire in 2017.   Courage Campaign’s petition demands Nike not renew any lease with Donald Trump and move the store to a new location. More than 60,000 people have signed onto the petition for Nike to sever ties to Donald Trump so far.

VIEW THE PETITION HERE: http://act.couragecampaign.org/sign/NikeDumpTrump/

Flagship stores like Niketown are crucial for companies, as their strategic placements in prominent cities around the globe generate foot traffic and high volumes of sales, while increasing the brand’s value and reputation through association with similar, or higher valued brands. Nike currently leases the space for NikeTown from Donald Trump valued at $200m and that lease is set to expire in 2017. According to Nike, “diversity and inclusion are key levers in continuing to drive its creativity and innovation” and Courage Campaign argues that Trump’s rhetoric and values are inconsistent with Nike’s brand.

Global companies like ESPN, Macy’s, NBCUniversal, Univision and more have already cut ties with Donald Trump over his racist, incendiary remarks, which has cost him over $78 million.

“For a leading global corporation that boasts its dedication to diversity and inclusion, Nike has done absolutely NOTHING to disassociate itself with Trump and his misogynistic presidential campaign. Even after Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women, Nike did nothing. And its silence is deafening,”explained William Winters, Campaign Manager at Courage Campaign. “Earlier this year, Nike immediately dropped Manny Pacquiao for his abhorrent remarks on same-sex couples. It cut ties with Maria Sharapova right away after she announced that she failed a drug test. But with mounting evidence that Donald Trump is a serial sexual predator — Nike does nothing.”

Last year, Macy’s cut ties with Donald Trump’s brand after the Republican frontrunner called Mexican immigrants “rapists,” derided and objectified women by calling them “bimbos,” “fat pigs,” and in one case, “ a young and beautiful piece of ass.” Trump has also said that he would stop all Muslims from entering the US and has encouraged violence against protesters at his events, even going so far as to say that protesters should be carried out on a stretcher and volunteering to pay the legal fees of any supporter who was arrested for assaulting a protester. 

“It’s long past time for Nike to denounce Trump’s disgusting rhetoric, and cut ties with Trump’s sexist, racist, and xenophobic brand. This isn’t rocket science, Nike. Just do it,” added Winters.

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