BA Boeing Co

By Ben Foldy 

President Trump called for a boycott of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in response to reports that the company showed a slide to workers prohibiting the wearing of politically-affiliated slogans, such as "Make America Great Again" apparel.

In a tweet posted Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump wrote: "Don't buy GOODYEAR TIRES - they announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for far less!"

Throughout his presidency, Mr. Trump has frequently taken to Twitter to criticize companies, including some major industrial giants such as Boeing Co. and General Motors Co. The divisiveness of the coming election, coupled with mounting tensions over race and law enforcement, have created difficulties for business leaders looking to regulate political expression in the workplace.

The flare-up began Tuesday after a local news station in Kansas published a photograph of a slide presented to Goodyear employees with a list of acceptable and unacceptable slogans to be worn at work.

On the acceptable list was the phrase "Black Lives Matter" and slogans supporting LGBT pride, while the police-supporting slogan "Blue Lives Matter" and politically-affiliated slogans -- including the "Make America Great Again" message affiliated with Mr. Trump's campaign -- were deemed unacceptable.

After the president's tweet, Goodyear responded on Twitter that the photograph had "created some misconceptions about our policies." The company asks workers to refrain from displaying support for any campaign or political party in the workplace and limit advocacy, with the exception of expressions related to racial-justice and -equity issues.

Write to Ben Foldy at Ben.Foldy@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 19, 2020 13:14 ET (17:14 GMT)

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