According to Kansas television station WIBW, a slide labeled “Zero Tolerance” was presented at the company’s Topeka, Kan. plant and spelled out appropriate and inappropriate displays.
“Black Lives Matter” and “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride” were considered acceptable. Listed under the “unacceptable” section were “Blue Lives Matter,” “All Lives Matter,” “MAGA Attire” and “Political Affiliated Slogans or Material.”
WIBW reported that a worker at the Topeka plant captured the picture and provided it to the news station.
In a statement following Trump’s tweet, Goodyear denied that the slide was created or distributed by their corporate office and claimed it was not part of a diversity training class.
The company did not indicate the image was doctored and stood by the ban on political messaging articulated in the slide.
“To be clear on our longstanding corporate policy, Goodyear has zero tolerance for any forms of harassment or discrimination,” the statement read. “To enable a workplace environment free of those, we ask that associates refrain from workplace expressions in support of political campaigning for any candidate or political party, as well as similar forms of advocacy that fall outside the scope of racial justice and equity issues.”
The statement also established the company’s support for law enforcement and pushed back on claims Goodyear is “anti-police.”
Goodyear is headquartered in Ohio, a 2020 swing state, and employs roughly 63,000 people.
Trump’s Goodyear attack is the latest in a long line of proposed boycotts from the president. Since 2015, Trump has called on boycotts of numerous prominent companies, ranging from Apple to CNN.
Liberal boycotts of companies with conservative ties have frequently irked Trump. The Trump campaign played up their support for Goya last month, after the food company drew heat from the left after the CEO praised Trump at a White House event.
In July 2019, Trump used similar rhetoric when defending his friend and Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus.
“More and more the Radical Left is using Commerce to hurt their ‘Enemy.’ They put out the name of a store, brand or company, and ask their so-called followers not to do business there,” Trump wrote on Twitter at the time. “They don’t care who gets hurt, but also don’t understand that two can play that game!”
