More than a week after defending its stance on political contributions, Toyota announced it will stop donating to Republican objectors. The Japanese automotive giant said it will reverse its earlier policy. It will now stop donating money to Republicans who refused to certify the 2020 elections.
RELATED: Toyota Defends Its Political Donations To Republicans
Toyota Initially Defended Its Decision
Previously, Toyota defended its donations to lawmakers who voted against certifying the elections. that said President Joe Biden won the elections. Toyota doubled down on its decision to support certain members of Congress.
They said that the contributions they gave reflected their overall support to lawmakers. Toyota said they donated to lawmakers who helped the auto industry and the company. In addition, it said it’s not right to judge lawmakers based on how they voted in the certification.
However, the Lincoln Project video hit Toyota head-on. The company then issued another statement saying they’ve changed their mind. In other words, they’re staying on the safe side of the controversy.
The Lincoln Project Rams Toyota
The non-profit Lincoln Project is a Republican PAC that preaches moderation. It is a group that’s highly critical of former President Donald Trump. In fact, the group actively campaigned against Trump’s reelection.
Now, TLP threatened to target companies like Toyota that supported Republican objectors. It vowed to attack companies who gave money to Republicans who supported Trump. Last night, the PAC released an ad that attacked Toyota’s political contributions.
The Lincoln Project tweeted an introduction for their Toyota-targeted ad. “Toyota vehicles feature safety detection systems, smartphone integration, and more white nationalism than you might’ve expected,” it posted.
Meanwhile, the video played with a narration criticizing Toyota for its political donations. “America’s free-market, the democratic system has been good for companies like Toyota for a long time. So, why would Toyota support politicians who tried to overthrow the very system that’s been so profitable for them,” the ad declared?
Backlash On Toyota’s Decision
As a result, many Americans found out about Toyota’s donations to Republican objectors. They took to social media to say they’re not buying a Toyota anymore. Coupled with the Lincoln Project’s attack video, the automotive giant made a sudden U-turn.
“Toyota is committed to supporting and promoting actions that further our democracy. Our company has long-standing relationships with Members of Congress across the political spectrum, especially those representing our U.S. operations.
Our bipartisan PAC equally supports Democrats and Republicans running for Congress. In fact, in 2021, the vast majority of the contributions went to Democrats and Republicans who supported the certification of the 2020 election.
We understand that the PAC decision to support select Members of Congress who contested the results troubled some stakeholders. We are actively listening to our stakeholders and, at this time, we have decided to stop contributing to those Members of Congress who contested the certification of certain states in the 2020 election.”
Lincoln Project Applauds Toyota’s U-Turn
Reacting to Toyota’s turnaround, the Lincoln Project cheered the move. “Toyota made the right choice today,” the Lincoln Project posted on Twitter.
Watch the Yahoo Finance video reporting that Toyota is suspending donations to election objectors in Congress:
Loading ...Do you agree or disagree with Toyota’s decision to stop donating to Republican objectors? Is this really about the 2020 election certification? Did Toyota cave into the pressure of losing money?
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