Ben & Jerry’s calls to ‘impeach’ Trump as brands like Coca-Cola and Chevron break their silence on the Capitol insurrection

Even as many brands choose to silence their marketing campaigns and social media activity following the insurrection at the Capitol on Wednesday, brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Coca-Cola, Chevron and Seventh Generation, along with prominent business leaders, have broken their silence about what many are calling one of the darkest days of U.S. history. Ben & Jerry’s has taken the boldest stance so far by calling for the impeachment of President Trump, widely considered the driving force behind the riots. Ben & Jerry’s, known for speaking out on social justice issues and advocating for marginalized groups, took its stance in an eight-part thread on Twitter shared across social media. “Yesterday was not a protest—it was a riot to uphold white supremacy,” wrote Ben & Jerry’s in a tweet. The ice-cream brand goes on to explain how the world saw “two Americas” on January 6: One with “record voter turnout driven by Black voters that resulted in the election of the first Black and first Jewish senators from the state of Georgia—our democracy at its best,” and another with a “mostly white mob, encouraged by the president, violently invade the seat of our democracy in an attempt to overturn a free and fair election.” Ben & Jerry’s ended the thread with: “Resign, impeach, 25th Amendment…not one more day.” Resign, impeach, 25th Amendment... not one more day.(8/8)— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) January 7, 2021 There once was a time when brands would remain silent on politics, but with consumers looking to them to take stances on social and even political issues, brands are more often taking sides. The majority of brands that are making statements are denouncing the riots, saying they look forward to a peaceful transition of power. On Twitter, Coca-Cola called the riots on the Capitol “an offense to the ideals of American democracy.” “With the election results now certified, we have faith in America’s democratic institutions to ensure a peaceful transfer of power and allow the U.S. to move forward together as one nation.” https://t.co/dsNXzLzuae pic.twitter.com/DPWhfbxa0R— The Coca-Cola Co. (@CocaColaCo) January 7, 2021 Chevron called for the peaceful transition of the U.S. government. We call for the peaceful transition of the U.S. government. The violence in Washington, D.C. tarnishes a two-century tradition of respect for the rule of law. We look forward to engaging with President-Elect Biden and his administration to move the nation forward.— Chevron (@Chevron) January 7, 2021 Seventh Generation says that “any attempt to undermine the election result is both undemocratic and racist.” The electorate, led by historic BIPOC voter turnout, has chosen new leaders. Any attempt to undermine the election result is both undemocratic and racist. We believe in the power of people. We believe in our Democracy. https://t.co/AJ1TrDRCIg— Seventh Generation (@SeventhGen) January 6, 2021 Even Axe shared its stance along with a tweet from Washington Post reporter that shows a can of its body spray left by the rioters in rubble at the Capitol. We'd rather be lonely than with that mob. AXE condemns yesterday's acts of violence and hate at the Capitol. We believe in the democratic process and the peaceful transition of power. https://t.co/vX727ZfvS8— AXE (@AXE) January 7, 2021 Earlier today, The Business Roundtable, a group aiming to help the U.S. economy made up of leading American company chief executive officers including Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO at Amazon, Tim Cook, CEO at Apple and David Calhoun, president and CEO at The Boeing Co., released its own statement: Business Roundtable this morning released a statement on the conclusion of the joint session of Congress to count electoral votes. Full statement here: https://t.co/PgdjRYZWAS pic.twitter.com/7w8a1ebkKV— Business Roundtable (@BizRoundtable) January 7, 2021 Soon after, Business Roundtable members like Verizon, Boeing and Bank of America shared their own statements on Twitter. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Twitch and Snapchat suspended Trump from using their platforms and Shopify shut down Trump’s e-commerce stores. As the riots unfolded yesterday, most brands remained silent. The Association of Manufacturers did call on Vice President Mike Pence to consider to evoke the 25th Amendment. Bagel Bites’ tweet: “All this for someone that hates them” was quickly deleted. Some brands have been forced into the conversation. Simon & Schuster canceled plans for Senator Josh Hawley’s book after criticism of his efforts to overturn the election; Goosehead Insurance fired one of its attorneys for participating in the mob; the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga fired a member of its football team staff for an “inappropriate” social media post about the riot and Navistar Direct Marketing fired an employee who wore his work badge as he participated.

Ben & Jerry’s calls to ‘impeach’ Trump as brands like Coca-Cola and Chevron break their silence on the Capitol insurrection

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