Thousands Willing to Pay Starbucks to Cut Ties With Donald Trump

Another petition has been circling featuring Starbucks, but this time it's political. The document and a separate crowdfunding effort are an attempt to get Starbucks to terminate its leases on Trump properties. Kyle Brooks, author of the petition letter, was 300 names away from its goal of 11,000 at the time Fortune originally reported the story. The petition refers to the negative comments made by the Republican presidential candidate earlier this year about various groups of people. Oddly enough, there was also a separate crowdfunding page in support of the same goal. Buzzfeed reported the crowdfund was started by Ivan Pardo, CEO of Boycott, an app that helps consumers avoid products that don’t line up with their principles. Supporters of the mission promise to buy a Starbucks gift card if the coffee brand terminates its lease at Trump Tower.

Total Retail's Take: Starbucks needs to respond to the petition — and soon. Quartz recently reported that close to $70,000 has been pledged to incentivize Starbucks to sever ties with the Trump properties. And I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility. Earlier in the campaign year, rumors floated about a potential presidential bid by Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz, a self-described Democrat.