New Balance fans became outraged yesterday after the Complex-owned website, Sole Collector, reported that the company supports Donald Trump’s impending presidency.
Wall Street Journal writer, Sara Garmano, quoted New Balance Vice President, Matt LeBretton, on her Twitter as saying, “The Obama admin turned a deaf ear to us & frankly w/ Pres-Elect Trump we feel things are going to move in the right direction.” Sole Collector then published an article about the tweet on their site.
In response, scorned sneakerheads took to the internet, uploading photos and videos of themselves destroying their New Balance sneakers, and tweeting about protesting at the company’s Boston headquarters.
According to LeBretton, the statement was correct but taken out of context, and that he was only referring to the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, which Trump has vowed to stop. “My statements aren’t political, this is policy related solely to TPP. I’ve spoken on the record to The Boston Globe and other sources about our opposition to Obama’s footwear tax and the TPP.”
You can read more about the New Balance / Trump controversy at Buzzfeed.
