Trainer firm New Balance has come out in support of Donald Trump, on the day he won the race to become the next President of the United States.
In a statement released to the Wall Street Journal, a New Balance spokesman declared the company’s support for President-Elect Trump.
“The Obama admin turned a deaf ear to us and frankly with Pres-Elect Trump, we feel things are going to move in the right direction.”
But the move has prompted a backlash against the company, with many disgruntled Twitter users reacting to the news by placing their New Balance shoes in the dustbin and in one case even setting them on fire.
Like Trump, the brand has long opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement between 12 countries which aims to curb tariffs and foster trade to boost growth.
New Balance wants to make a trainer with 100% American parts but fears the TPP, as backed by the Obama administration, will stymie this as it becomes cheaper to import them from elsewhere.
A statement on the New Balance website states: “We’re proud to be the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our sales.
“Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA.”
Trump has called the TPP a “death blow” for US manufacturing and doubts now linger over the future of the agreement altogether, Reuters reports.
“Before last year, TPP approval on Capitol Hill looked highly likely, but now neither candidate is willing to support a deal that could have implications for US jobs,” the agency wrote ahead of the presidential election.
By contrast, rival running shoe maker Nike supports the proposed TPP.