Could Starbucks move out of Trump Tower
Posted on: 2016-07-20 4:59 PM There are at least 11,000 people out there who dislike Republican presidential hopeful Donald J. Trump so much they’re petitioning Starbucks to shutter its location at Trump Tower in New York City. And some 2,000 Starbucks fans are ready to cough up tens of thousands of dollars to make it happen.
They’re using Payola, a crowdsourcing site for raising capital to try and influence companies, as first reported by BuzzFeed. The way it’s set up is pretty simple: People pledge to donate their money to influence a company to make a change and if the company agrees, the payments will be processed. In this case, close to $70,000 has already been pledged. Here’s why they say Starbucks should close the location:
The money Starbucks gives Trump every month is used to fund the bigotry and racism that he broadcasts across the country. Macy’s, NBC-Universal, ESPN, Apple, and NASCAR have all cut ties with Trump, but Starbucks continues to hold out, forcing us to unwillingly fund Donald Trump’s hate with every latte bought.
The Seattle-based coffee purveyor has not publicly responded to the effort. Quartz has asked Starbucks to comment about the petition, and will update this story if it learns anything new.
That Starbucks might acknowledge the petition and shutter its Trump Tower location isn’t that far fetched. Earlier in the campaign season, rumors floated about and potential presidential bid by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, a self-described Democrat. Schultz rebuffed those, but not without first expressing his opinion about the tenor of US politics. In an interview, he rebuked the rhetoric used throughout the Republican primary.
“Many people are embracing what I would loosely describe as ‘fools gold,’ ” Schultz said. “This is not a time in America where we should be dividing.”
Schultz hasn’t said much publicly since February. But with the Republican National Convention in full swing, and his company releasing its latest earnings this week (July 21), some of Schultz’s political rumination may soon come out.
