Donald Trump who challenged President Obama to show his birth certificate and his college transcripts is now challenging online organizer Angelo Carusone, who started a petition on SignOn.org, urging Macy’s to Dump Trump, to cease and desist from attempts to remove the Trump brands from Macy’s. By way of background, Mr. Carusone’s online petition’s background states:
“Macy’s has a special deal with Donald Trump. They invest in developing Trump’s brand and sell his clothing line and fragrance at their locations. To this end, they have had major events at Macy’s Herald Square location and they often feature and promote Trump in advertisements designed to celebrate the magic of Macy’s.”
Petition Statement to Macy’s states:
Donald Trump does not reflect the “magic of Macy’s.” We urge you to sever ties with him. Macy’s says it has a strong obligation to be “socially responsible” and that “actions speak louder than words.” Indeed. It’s time to act.
Mr. Carusone’s petition was started before the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade in November and has amassed almost 700,000 signatures. Trump has threatened a $25 million lawsuit if efforts to remove him from Macy’s as a tortious interference with business. Click here to read the letter.
It seems that Donald Trump has forgotten there are still First Amendment rights in this country. In case he has forgotten, Paul Alan Levy of Public Citizen, a long-standing advocate for free speech and Carusone’s attorney has reminded Trump’s attorney stating, “From the boycott of Missouri for blocking the Equal Rights Amendment to refusing to eat at Chick-fil-A for opposing gay rights, the ability to stimulate a mass “vote with your wallet” campaign has been a key weapon for activists that has long been recognized under the First Amendment,” added Levy. “Free speech trumps business expectations; even Donald Trump should know better than to bring the suit that he threatens.”
MoveOn.org which allows online users to start petitions on its web site fully supports Carusone and his “Dump Trump” petition. Stefanie Faucher, a spokesperson for MoveOn.org, said, “MoveOn.org stands behind Angelo Carusone and the other individuals using SignOn.org to exercise their First Amendment rights. We deplore any and all attempts to bully and intimidate Americans who are simply exercising their constitutional right to freedom of speech and who are courageous enough to speak truth to power.”
There are many online petitions where persons can assert their First Amendment rights. Even the White House has an online petition tab where among others, petitions to secede from the country have also amassed signatures.
First amendment allows everyone such as Mr. Carusone to express their opinions and seek action. In fact, many such petitions have been very successful in removing TV sponsors from shows like Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh for their racist and hate mongering TV style. And these petitions have been used to state the point that such racist and bullying tactics are not acceptable. Perhaps, this is what Mr. Trump is worried will happen to him.
While it is unlikely that Mr. Trump will back down off of his efforts to suppress the First Amendment, there will be more to update. In the interim, interested persons may sign the petition for Macy’s to Dump Trump online by clicking here.
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