Two leading U.S. retailers have accused the head of a pillow business of abandoning the brand over its outspoken support for Donald Trump, saying the decisions are not driven by politics but by weak demand for the products.
In a series of interviews, Mike Lindell, who runs MyPillow in Minnesota, accuses some of the largest chains in the country, including Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl’s, of being under pressure from left-wing activists over his support for the outgoing US president .
“They’re scared,” he told the Right Broadcasting Network.
However, two of the retailers nominated by Lindell said on Tuesday that they were removing the products from the private company due to poor sales.
“There’s a decline in customer demand for MyPillow,” Kohl’s said. Bed Bath & Beyond said: ‘We have rationalized our range to discontinue a number of underperforming items and brands. This includes the MyPillow product line. ”
The dispute, on Trump’s last full day in office, illustrates the problems facing the American business world over dealing with the increasingly divided politics in the country.
Mr. Lindell has been one of the most outspoken business leaders in his support of Mr. Trump and reiterated his unfounded accusations of widespread voter fraud in the November election. Unlike other Trump sympathizers who distanced themselves after the attack on the U.S. Capitol this month, the entrepreneur still supported the president’s calls to reverse the results.
Since the assault on the Capitol, executives across the U.S. company have been eager to avoid supporting a president accused of undermining the law. Yet they also risk a setback from the right.
Sebastian Gorka, a former assistant to Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter on Tuesday: “If you’re a Patriot, how about you never buy anything from Kohl’s or Bed Bath & Beyond until they have Mike Lindell’s MyPillow products back in stock.”
Mr Lindell said online furniture retailer Wayfar and the Texas grocery chain HAVE also abandoned MyPillow. None of them responded to a request for comment.