The President of the United States took to Twitter to chastise a leading tire manufacturer for their diversity policy following a viral leaked image.
The controversy began when an anonymous Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company employee leaked an image of a slide from an alleged training exercise to Kansas news outlet WIBW this week.
That employee said that the photo of the slide was taken during a presentation at a plant in Topeka and that the presentation came from the corporate office in Akron, Ohio.
The slide depicts an apparent attempt to define the company’s “zero tolerance” diversity policy and lists Black Lives Matter and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride as “Acceptable.”
Listed under “Unacceptable” on the slide are the terms Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, MAGA attire, and Political Affiliated Slogans and Material.
The story made it all the way to President Trump, who on Wednesday morning called for a boycott on the company’s tires.
The tweet reads: “Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES – They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for far less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats do. Two can play the same game, and we have to start playing it now!).”
Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES – They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for far less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats do. Two can play the same game, and we have to start playing it now!).
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2020
Goodyear has issued a statement on their diversity policy and denies that the image came from their corporate offices.
Yesterday, Goodyear became the focus of a conversation that created some misconceptions about our policies and our company. Goodyear has always wholeheartedly supported both equality and law enforcement and will continue to do so. pic.twitter.com/oO6jUg2rTR
— Goodyear (@goodyear) August 19, 2020
Goodyear is a major figure in the U.S. trucking industry, both as a manufacturer of commercial vehicle tires and as the sponsor of one of the Goodyear Highway Heroes Award, which has, since 1983, recognized truck drivers who risk their own safety to help others.