Lobbying Corporations to Defund Trump

The Brian Lehrer Show | May 20, 2016

Rashad Robinson, the spokesperson of the PAC for the civil rights group Color of Change, discusses the growing momentum behind the group's campaign to pressure major corporations to protest Donald Trump by divesting from the Republican National Convention, because of what Color of Change considers Trump’s bigoted rhetoric.

Robinson pointed out that many of the corporations that have boycotted or threatened to boycott North Carolina for blocking the transgender bathroom ordinance are funding the Republican National Convention, where Trump will almost certainly be coronated as the GOP nominee.

He said the issue is another example of the growing influence of money in politics, as showcased by the numerous corporations that severed ties with Trump when he first launched his campaign and made controversial statements about Mexican immigrants, but as he amassed a following of GOP voters and consequently political power, less corporations challenged him. 

"These corporations may hedge their bets when someone is a public figure, but when they may hold a little bit of political power, they go silent," Robinson said. 

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