The presidential candidate obsessed with “deals” is quickly losing them.
On Wednesday, following Donald Trump’s call for a total ban on Muslim immigration, the popular home decor chain Lifestyle announced they are pulling all Trump products out of its 160-plus stores across the Middle East.
CEO Sachin Mundhwa told Quartz that he made the decision “in light of the recent statements made by the presidential candidate,” because his company “values and respects the sentiments of all its customers.” The chain had been selling “luxury” Trump products, such as “bath accessories with mother of pearl and chrome detailing, along with luxurious, fashion forward jewellery boxes made of leather.”
Trump’s ties with the wealthy Muslim governments and corporations that helped build his fortune are strained, as the mogul’s presidential campaign becomes more focused on appealing to U.S. voters’ anti-Islam sentiments. Tenants and business owners who work and live in Trump-branded buildings across the region are increasingly uneasy about being associated with the Donald — though many of these buildings are not actually owned by Trump himself.
If more companies in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and other Muslim nations cut ties with Trump, or back out of various hotel and golf course deals currently in the works, it could cost the mogul hundreds of millions of dollars.
This backlash abroad mirrors what began months ago in the U.S., when Macy’s department stores and several companies cut ties with Trump following his remarks calling undocumented immigrants “rapists.” Macy’s public statement about the move noted that “respect for the dignity of all people is a cornerstone of our culture” and said Trump’s “disparaging” remarks were “inconsistent with Macy’s values.”
These same “disparaging” remarks prompted celebrated Spanish chef José Andrés to pull out of a previous agreement to open a restaurant in Trump’s new hotel in Washington, D.C. Trump is currently suing Andrés for $10 million in damages.