With online protests showing no signs of slowing down and increasing calls among Donald Trump supporters to boycott the chain, Walmart has pulled shirts and other items that read “Impeach 45” from its website.
Walmart, in a statement to Fortune Tuesday afternoon, reacted to the complaints, saying, “These items were sold by third party sellers on our open marketplace, and were not offered directly by Walmart. We’re removing these types of items pending review of our marketplace policies.”
If that language sounds familiar, it’s because it’s very close in tone to the brief statement Walmart made last December when a journalist advocacy group told the retailer it was threatened by a T-shirt it found on the website reading, “Rope. Tree. Journalist. SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.”
“This item was sold by a third-party seller on our marketplace and clearly violates our policy,” Walmart said in that incident. “We removed it as soon as it was brought to our attention, and are conducting a thorough review of the seller’s assortment.”
#BoycottWalmart has been trending on Twitter all day, starting off as a sounding board for conservatives who were offended by the range clothing, from sweatshirts to baby clothes, that featured the message. (A wide variety of manufacturers seemingly offered such products.) It has since turned into a battleground for opposing ideologies, many taking shots at other aspects of Walmart‘s business.
.@walmart why are you selling Impeach 45 baby clothes on your website?????
What kind of message are you trying to send? https://t.co/PwI4nCVAZx
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) July 3, 2018
Walmart Doesn't Want Patriot's Business – #BoycottWalmartpic.twitter.com/X1UUUfa0Go
— Terry McMurray 🇺🇸 🏝️ (@TerryJMcMurray) July 3, 2018
https://twitter.com/ERanglero/status/1014208386852847622
https://twitter.com/BrandonTXNeely/status/1014165216442175488
https://twitter.com/4everNeverTrump/status/1014178164405235717
I saw #BoycottWalmart and thought it's because their employees don't make enough money to live and have to get public assistance or because of their union busting tactics – or the fact they force employees to work on Thanksgiving.
Nope. Trump supporters are upset over a jersey
— Pastor Ben (@BenjaminPDixon) July 3, 2018
Walmart continues to sell a wide range of pro-Trump merchandise, including a substantial number of “Make America Great Again” hats.