AKRON, Ohio — President Donald Trump issued a call on social media to boycott Akron-based Goodyear on Wednesday after the company reportedly told employees they couldn't wear "Make America Great Again" or "Blue Lives Matter" attire.
"Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES - They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS," Trump tweeted Wednesday.
What might be the most interesting part about Trump's call to boycott Goodyear is the fact that his presidential limousine, nicknamed 'The Beast,' has used Goodyear tires.
Our own Russ Mitchell tweeted out the following when news of the boycott first came out.
Similar photos have appeared since the president's boycott call.
During her briefing with the media, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked if "The Beast" would continue to use Goodyear tires amid the president's call for a boycott. "I'm not going to comment on security matters," she answered.
Trump's call to boycott comes after a Goodyear employee told a TV station that the company's zero-tolerance policy was "discriminatory." The worker claimed the photo was taken during a "diversity training," but Goodyear said Wednesday that wasn't true.
"Goodyear became the focus of a conversation that created some misconceptions about our policies and our company," Goodyear said in a statement shared on Twitter. The company added that its corporate office did not release the zero-tolerance slide and it was not part of a "diversity training class."
Goodyear added that it has zero tolerance for any forms of harassment or discrimination, so it's been a longstanding corporate policy to ask employees to "refrain from workplace expressions in support of political campaigning for any candidate or political party, as well as similar forms of advocacy that fall outside the scope of racial justice and equity issues."
However, McEnany says Goodyear’s statement“ failed to clarify their policy.”
“What was not allowed was Blue Lives Matter,” McEnany said. "What was clearly targeted was a certain ideology. Blue Lives Matter is an equity issue and Goodyear needs to come out and acknowledge that."
Goodyear said it appreciates the "diverse viewpoints" of all its more than 60,000 employees and has "always wholeheartedly supported both equality and law enforcement."
Goodyear also said it's not "anti-police."
"Nothing could be further from the truth, and we have the upmost appreciation for the vital work police do on behalf of our shared communities. This can't be said strongly enough," Goodyear's statement said.
President Trump's call to boycott Goodyear was met with fierce criticism from state and local leaders.
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan issued a two-part statement on Twitter, starting with a reply to President Trump: "First, you came to destroy American decency. Next, you came to destroy American institutions. Now you're coming to destroy the American economy and heartland jobs. Luckily you seem to fail at everything you do."
The response included an gif of Akron-native LeBron James.
Also criticizing the president's tweet was U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). "It’s absolutely despicable that the President would call for a boycott of an American company, based in Akron, that employs thousands of U.S. workers," Brown wrote. Keep in mind, this is a President who spent years making his own Trump-branded products overseas. He failed to stand up for workers in Lordstown, and now he betrays the workers in Akron."
TEGNA's Douglas Jones contributed to this story