CEO Kevin Plank last night (July 28, 2019) on Instagram sent a message to Donald Trump with a 2017 Under Armour campaign video celebrating the grit and toughness of the people of Baltimore. While not new, the campaign was clearly timed in response to vitriolic comments Trump made about the Baltimore where Under Armour is headquartered.
In the caption, Plank wrote, “On behalf of the thousands of UA teammates who proudly call Baltimore home, work to be done but we are of this city and for this city.” Though Plank did not acknowledge Trump in his post, the timing and the subject matter indicates a comment on the president’s vitriolic comments on the East Coast city.
Plank has stayed largely mum on the president since receiving a tidal wave of negative push back for his early support of the 73-year-old Trump. In addition to consumers, the position didn’t sit well with Under Armour-signee Stephen Curry, who in response issued a statement that read, “There is no amount of money, there is no platform I wouldn’t jump off, if it wasn’t in line with who I am.”
In Trump’s tweet, he blasting U.S. House Representative Elijah Cummings, a Democrat and outspoken Trump critic who oversees Maryland’s 7th Congressional District, which includes Baltimore. Trump wrote, “Rep, Elijah Cummings has been a brutal bully, shouting and screaming at the great men & women of border patrol about conditions at the Southern Border, when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous. His district is considered the Worst in the USA.” [Note, in a recent USA Today article ranking the 50 worst cities to live in, Baltimore is not included on the list.]
In a second tweet, Trump lied about well-documented horrendous conditions at the border when he wrote, “As proven last week during a Congressional tour, the Border is clean, efficient & well run, just very crowded. Cumming District is a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore, maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place.”
Check out the spot below.
