News that the 90-year-old co-founder of Home Depot, Bernie Marcus, is planning to direct some of his multi-billion-dollar fortune to the Trump campaign has triggered a backlash among Trump critics online, who are vowing to #BoycottHomeDepot — arguing that giving their money to the company is like a direct campaign contribution to President Trump. Along with boycotting the home improvement giant, some of the outraged critics are vowing to take their business to Home Depot’s biggest competitor, Lowe’s. But conservatives are pointing out that the new hashtag movement has a few glaring logical gaps.
In a recent interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Marcus said that after he dies he will give between 80 to 90% of his estimated $5.9 billion fortune to various charitable causes. But, as highlighted by Business Insider, in the meantime, some of his money will also go to political causes and candidates, including President Trump’s re-election campaign.
“He’s got a businessman’s common sense approach to most things,” Marcus said of Trump. “Now, do I agree with every move that he makes? No, I don’t. But the truth is he has produced more than anybody else. He has. If we look at this country, I would say that we are better off today than we were eight years ago or six years ago.”
A majority of the AJC article highlights Marcus’s remarkable dedication to funding charitable causes and his commitment to selflessly directing about $6 billion — almost all of his fortune — to organizations that make the world a better place. He’s already donated hundreds of millions to such efforts through his foundation:
An AJC search of 15 years of the Marcus Foundation’s public tax filings shows about $660 million in charitable disbursements. That doesn’t include the foundation’s grants in different years or giving Marcus and his wife Billi made outside their foundations.
“What Bernie has done, and what he plans to do in his lifetime, will not only bring incredibly significant impact on those nonprofit institutions today, but will also continue to benefit those organizations for generations to come,” said Alicia Philipp, the president of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. “He is an inspiration to philanthropy in Atlanta.”
While Marcus is committed to doing what the Left demands of One Percenters, giving his fortune away, as Business Insider makes a point of stressing, “Marcus is also a major political donor: He supported, and intends to again support, Donald Trump’s presidential bid.”
For Trump critics, that fact erases the billions he will give to a wide range of crucial causes. A few examples of furious #BoycottHomeDepot posts highlighted by Business Insider and Twitchy:
#HomeDepot founder Bernie Marcus was one of #Trump’s largest donors in 2016, giving $7 million to Trump’s campaign through outside groups. He plans to financially support the president in the 2020 election
Hey @hgtv this is another one of your sponsors & please just go with @Lowes instead of @HomeDepot from now on because you’re my self-care #BoycottHomeDepot #ImpeachTrump
Home Depot shoppers if you’re anti Trump, boycott the store and cut up your cards! Founder Bernie Marcus plans to donate to President Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection bid.#boycotthomedepot
If you plan on buying a hammer, wood, or ANY home improvement items from Home Depot, you may as well send donations DIRECTLY to trump’s 2020 campaign. No more, @HomeDepot.#BoycottHomeDepot
But, as conservatives have pointed out, there are a few logical inconsistencies in the boycott movement. First, Marcus retired in 2002, so shopping at Home Depot does not “send donations DIRECTLY to trump’s 2020 campaign.” And as Twitchy notes, Marcus’ former partner, Arthur Blank, is a major donor to Democratic presidential candidates, which complicates leftist critics’ shopping calculations.
As for the plan to direct money to Lowe’s, that’s also problematic, as Lowe’s spends a vast majority of its political donations on pro-business Republicans, as documented by Open Secrets.
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