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Goodyear responds after President Trump calls for boycott of America’s largest tire maker

Posted at 10:11 AM, Aug 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-19 13:11:19-04

AKRON, Ohio -- One of America’s largest tire maker, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, responded Wednesday to President Donald Trump's tweet calling on the public not to buy tires after an image circulated of a policy asking employees not to wear any political attire, including MAGA gear, to the workplace.

Trump tweeted Wednesday: “Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES - They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for far less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats do. Two can play the same game, and we have to start playing it now!).”

WIBW, a television station in Topeka, Kansas, published a story of a slide, purportedly from the company's diversity training, showing what’s acceptable and what isn’t as part of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company’s zero-tolerance policy.

On Wednesday, Goodyear tire released a statement addressing the misconceptions about its policies and company. The company said the widely circulated image was not part of any diversity training class.

"We ask 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."

Goodyear responded to anyone who believed it's anti-police, saying "nothing could be further from the truth, and we have the utmost appreciation for the vital work police do on behalf of our shared communities. This can't be said strongly enough."

The City of Akron released a statement on Twitter, reaffirming its support for Goodyear.

In 2019, Goodyear ranked as the 93rd largest employer in the state with 3,300 employees, according to News 5 media partner at Ohio.com.

This story was first reported by Kaylyn Hlavaty at WEWS in Ohio.