Not only is Nordstrom’s stock up more than four percent the day after President Donald Trump denounced the retailer for dropping his daughter Ivanka Trump’s line, but now celebrities are supporting the brand through acts of protest-shopping — patronizing the company and sharing it on social media out of spite.
Comedian and talkshow host Chelsea Handler shared an Instagram photo this afternoon outside the White House with two friends carrying several Nordstrom bags. Handler, who has more than three million followers, shared the image with the caption: “A Jew and a Gay went to pick up a Muslim up from the airport, headed straight to Nordstrom, and then headed over to @whitehouse to give our thanks!” As of Thursday afternoon, the post had nearly 150,000 likes and more than 5,000 comments.
A photo posted by Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) on
The current attitude toward the retailer is a vast departure from last week, when Nordstrom was on a list of Grab Your Wallet’s retailers to avoid for selling Trump-related goods. Nordstrom set off a firestorm on Friday when it announced it would be removing Ivanka Trump products, inspiring Neiman Marcus to follow suit and evoking the wrath of the president who took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the matter.
My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2017
In an interview with Fox News Thursday, Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway doubled down, encouraging people to purchase Ivanka Trump products, a direct violation of federal ethics laws that state federal employees cannot use their public office for private benefit. “Go buy Ivanka’s stuff, is what I would tell you. I hate shopping, and I’m gonna go get some on myself today,” she said in the video.
In the aftermath of Conway’s statements, the Office of Government Ethics website shut down as a result of a flurry of members of the public contacting the organization about the incident. The OGE shared on Twitter that its phone and email systems were overloaded as a result of “recent events.”
1/OGE’s website, phone system and email system are receiving an extraordinary volume of contacts from citizens about recent events.
— U.S. OGE (@OfficeGovEthics) February 9, 2017
In addition to television personalities like Handler, notable figures with large followings like Bethany Cosentino of the indie rock band Best Coast also took to Instagram last night share an image of herself shopping at Nordstrom, with the caption, “Just doing some shopping at the president’s favorite store.”
Just doing some shopping at the president’s favorite store 💅🏼
A photo posted by Best Coast (@best_coast) on
Likewise, Jessica Seinfeld, author and husband of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, shared an image of her online shopping order from Nordstrom, which includes purchases from Sarah Jessica Parker’s shoe collection and also Narciso Rodriguez’s For Her fragrance.
A photo posted by Jessica Seinfeld (@jessseinfeld) on
