Less than 48 hours after Donald Trump was declared President-Elect of the United States, normcore staple brand New Balance has already thrown its support behind one of his trade policies.
The brand has long advocated and capitalized on its sneakers being primarily made in America and they drove this point home with a statement about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (a trade deal that includes lifting tariffs imposed on shoes imported from Vietnam to the U.S.)
The Wall Street Journal’s Sara Germano tweeted out the following from New Balance’s VP of public affairs in regards to the TPP: “The Obama admin turned a deaf ear to us & frankly w/ Pres-Elect Trump we feel things are going to move in the right direction.”
https://twitter.com/germanotes/status/796479327911247876
Sneakerheads and fans of the brand, however, had a myriad of reactions to this statement, with many viewing this as an endorsement of Trump. In protest, people shared videos of themselves burning their shoes to express how they now feel about New Balance based on this statement.
https://twitter.com/jonnnysan/status/796509907725885440
— VAP (@tbrooks__) November 10, 2016
— austin (@uglytrashboy) November 10, 2016
https://twitter.com/stretchd/status/796519801791324160
For more on New Balance, watch Fortune’s video:
New Balance later tweeted a statement that appears to address the backlash indirectly.
— New Balance (@newbalance) November 10, 2016