This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Trump Says Nike Is ‘Getting Absolutely Killed’ Due To Colin Kaepernick Ad

The president also tweeted a jab at the NFL for good measure.

It took a few days, but President Donald Trump has finally tweeted about Nike’s decision to use Colin Kaepernick in its 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign.

On Monday, Nike released an ad that featured Kaepernick’s face and the message: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

Wednesday morning, the president attacked both the sportswear company and the NFL, claiming that Nike’s decision to use Kaepernick in its campaign is already having negative effects.

Nike’s stock dropped 3.2 percent on Tuesday, and the new ad inspired a rash of protests, with people destroying the company’s products and sharing the photos and videos on social media, according to The Hill.

Bloomberg noted that Tuesday was Nike’s biggest one-day drop since April, but also pointed out that shares in Adidas ― Nike’s biggest competitor ― dropped as well.

And despite the drop in stock price, Nike earned $43 million worth of media exposure, the vast majority of it neutral-to-positive, the website reported.

As might be expected, Trump’s latest Twitter broadside inspired plenty of claps back.

Joe Lockhart, a former White House press secretary in the Clinton administration, speculated that Trump’s Nike tweet was simply an attempt to change the conversation from Bob Woodward’s new book:

The president also slammed Nike on Tuesday during an interview with The Daily Caller, saying the company’s selection of Kaepernick sent “a terrible message.”

However, he acknowledged that Nike has the right to make its own business decisions.

Regardless of what the president or anyone else thinks, Nike is doubling down on its campaign and released this new ad on Wednesday:

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.