Donald Trump Tweets Support for Linda Bean after a Call for a Boycott

PHOTO VIA ISTOCK.COM/MCKINNEMIKE

The executives at L.L. Bean could be forgiven for thinking this whole thing—a proposed boycott of their products over a family member’s donations to Donald Trump—would eventually blow over. But no! The imbroglio escalated Thursday with a the two-cents of the president-elect himself.

In a tweet this morning, Trump heaped praise on Linda Bean, the L.L. Bean heiress who gave a hefty sum to a Trump-supporting PAC during the election, and has since invited the wrath of an anti-Trump organization calling for its supporters to avoid the 100-year-old Maine outerwear company’s products.

He thanked Bean for her “support and courage,” adding, “People will support you even more now. Buy L.L.Bean.”

Thank you to Linda Bean of L.L.Bean for your great support and courage. People will support you even more now. Buy L.L.Bean. @LBPerfectMaine

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2017

He capped it off with a mention of the Twitter handle for Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine, her brand of food, gifts, and lodging. Shortly thereafter, her website would not load, and appears to have crashed.

Trump’s tweet follows an appearance by Bean on the couch at Fox & Friends this morning. “I think it’s very much a case of bullying,” she told the morning show’s hosts.

The boycott was proposed by a group called Grab Your Wallet, which has encouraged consumers to avoid products made by companies with direct or indirect ties to Trump. The group’s leadership says it will call off the boycott if the company kicks bean off of its board. It’s not clear how many people are abiding by the group’s suggestion.

The chairman of L.L. Bean’s board, Shawn Gorman, responded to the controversy on Facebook earlier this week, saying he was “deeply troubled” by any attempts to apply the political leanings of one family member to an entire company.

“We fully acknowledge and respect that some may disagree with the political views of a single member of our 10-person board of directors,” he wrote. “Like most large families, the more than 50 family member-owners of the business hold views and embrace causes across the political spectrum, just as our employees and customers do. And as every member of the family would agree, no individual alone speaks on behalf of the business or represents the values of the company that L.L. built.”