Politicians can’t win everyone over, and Donald Trump is no exception. Despite his purported mutually adoring relationship with American corporations, a number of key corporate sponsors have decided not to sponsor the 2016 Republican convention in Cleveland, where the real estate mogul will be officially introduced as the party’s nominee for president. A Bloomberg report notes that Wells Fargo & Co., United Parcel Service Inc., Motorola Solutions Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Ford Motor Co., and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., all of whom sponsored the 2012 convention, will not be partaking at the same level this year. And on the tech side, Apple is sitting this one out, as is HP, Inc.
The Silicon Valley behemoth’s decision breaks with that of its compatriots, as Facebook, Google, and Microsoft have all signaled the provision of “some support” to the GOP next month. But Apple will not be donating money or technology to the event, which signals the latest sign of a growing rift between Trump (and perhaps the GOP at large) and America’s tech industry. After all, it wasn’t too long ago that Facebook was accused of curating liberal stories in its Trending News section, and in the spring a number of civil rights groups set up a Trump protest at Google’s headquarters.
That said, a few companies that decided not to support the convention have explicitly cited Trump as their rationale, so maybe it’s just unfortunate timing.
Of course, Trump has always insisted that he has more than enough personal funds to pave his road to the White House, so perhaps the reluctance of many corporate sponsors to participate this year won’t be such a big blow to the reality television star. But it’s not just businesses who are suggesting that they may not make an appearance at the convention — indeed, some top Republicans have also indicated that they might be absent from the event.
But sponsors or no sponsors, Republican attendees or not attendees, this year’s convention is sure to be an event to remember.
