Conservatives are calling for a boycott of department store Kohl’s over its refusal to sponsor the Republican National Convention, which is being held in the state where the retailer is headquartered.
Some posters have even pledged to “Bud Light the f*** out of” Kohl’s in reference to the boycott that took a massive bite of sales of the popular beer after its partnership with transgender Dylan Mulvaney.
The Republican convention is set to take place in Milwaukee between July 15 to July 18. Donald Trump is expected to be formally named the party’s nominee for president to face off with President Joe Biden. However, the convention will take place just days after Trump is set to be sentenced after being convicted of 34 felonies in connection to hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Kohl’s is a popular retailer and shopping plaza anchor headquartered just outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This week, company officials told outlets that it will not sponsor any of the RNC events.
“As a Milwaukee-based company, we appreciate our hometown will have a spotlight during this time to showcase all it has to offer, including our great neighborhoods, an array of businesses and all of our amazing residents – many of which are Kohl’s associates,” a spokesperson told Newsweek.
“Kohl’s is not a political organization nor donor and is not sponsoring nor engaging in any specific RNC events. We financially support the business community through the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC).
“This is the same approach we took when supporting the Milwaukee community when the DNC was planned for Milwaukee.”
Some analysts have said that companies are trying to avoid sponsoring either the Republican or Democratic national conventions given the nation’s charged political landscape, according to an NBC report.
When Kohl’s made its intention known, it sparked fury online from several right-wing posters with some saying they wouldn’t shop there any longer.
“I’m happy to boycott Kohl’s. Overpriced and struggling anyway,” X user John Boldebook wrote.
“Time to cancel my Kohl’s account,” fellow user Krisha Provinge wrote.
While poster R_Brown wrote: “Already informed the wife Kohl’s is getting the bud light treatment, wasn’t much of an argument there once I told her what happened. Let’s see that stock value in the upcoming days.”
Kohl’s stock price was up 1.6 percent on Friday, after the company’s announcement, and sat at $22.82 a share as of closing.
Other social media users were quick to praise Kohl’s for its decision and weren’t worried about those calling for a boycott.
“Looks like I’ll need to shop a bit more frequently at Kohl’s,” noted Democrat poster JoJoFromJerz wrote on X.
“All of my Christmas shopping will be done @Kohls and any other store that doesn’t support a convicted felon running for president,” another noted left-leaning poster wrote on the social media site.
Source Agencies