Trump suggests Starbucks boycott
By JOHN O'CONNOR and JILL COLVIN

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Republican presidential contender Donald Trump is suggesting boycotting Starbucks over the minimalist design of its annual holiday cups.

"Did you read about Starbucks? No more Merry Christmas on Starbucks," Trump told a capacity crowd of thousands gathered to hear him speak at a pre-debate rally in Springfield, Illinois on Monday evening.

"Maybe we should boycott Starbucks. I don't know," he said. "Seriously, I don't care."

Some religious conservatives have expressed anger over the coffee company's annual holiday-time cups — a minimalist all-red design with no images aside from the company's green and white logo.

Previous years' cups have featured snowflakes, winter scenes and sometimes Christmas ornaments. But a small number of critics see the design choice as part of a larger movement away from exclusively Christian-themed holiday decorations. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump, who is working to win the support of evangelical and other conservative Christians in a crowded field, has often expressed frustrations over companies using the term "Happy Holidays" in place of "Merry Christmas."

He said on Monday that: "If I become president, we're all going to be saying, 'Merry Christmas' again. That I can tell you."

He added that Starbucks operates a store in one of his buildings and that "that's the end of that lease, but who cares?"

The rally comes on the eve of the next Republican presidential debate, which will be taking place Tuesday evening in Milwaukee.

Brian Oaks, general manager of the Prairie Capital Convention Center, said the billionaire businessman and reality television star had attracted a record-setting crowd for the convention center of 10,200 in downtown Springfield, a solidly Republican city in a Democratic-leaning state.

Trump did not mention the debate during his rally speech, but previewed some of the attack lines he may choose to use against rivals, including retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who is now running neck-and-neck with him in several polls.

Trump expressed near-exasperation at Carson's continued popularity in the face of growing questions about discrepancies in his autobiography, "Gifted Hands," which included claims that he tried to hit his mother with a hammer and unsuccessfully tried to stab someone when he was an angry youth.

"With what's going on with this election? I've never seen anything like it," said Trump. He went on to mimic the back-and-forth between Carson and reporters trying to verify the story of his rise from poverty to acclaimed surgeon, including a claim by Carson that the person he'd tried to stab had been saved by his belt buckle.

"You stab somebody and the newspapers say, 'You didn't do it.' And you said, 'Yes I did, I did it!'" said Trump.

"This is the only election in history where you're better off if you stabbed somebody," he said. "What are we coming to?"
___

Colvin reported from Jersey City, New Jersey.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-11-10

Oh dear, now we really are entering the realms of the pathetic. At first I thought this was an SNL joke.

Edited November 10, 201510 yr by Chicog

"Maybe we should boycott Starbucks. I don't know," he said. "Seriously, I don't care."

You've almost got to admire the guy for coming up with this beaut. Actually, now that I think about it, he should just say this for every potential policy point:

Maybe we should defund Obamacare. I don't know. Seriously, I don't care.

Maybe we should put troops on the ground in Syria. I don't know. Seriously, I don't care.

Maybe we should incentivize businesses to create more jobs. I don't know. Seriously, I don't care.

But seriously, even the most ardent of fanboys has to be able to see through this hucksterism. At least I hope so.

Edited November 10, 201510 yr by up-country_sinclair

And this person is running for president?

Maby he can get a full time job for comedy central.

And this person is running for president?

Maby he can get a full time job for comedy central.

He is the one leading the Clown car. Free entertainment for all !

HAPPY HOLIDAY, Mr. Donald Adolf Trump !

And this is exactly why Trump is unfit to be a President. He doesn't have a clue that what he said violates the very oath he would take for the office - "to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"If I become president, we're all going to be saying, 'Merry Christmas' again. That I can tell you."

There was a discussion about Trump's persona on Bill Maher's Real Time.

Two people who have dealt with Trump personally for years both said in private he's a sweetheart and truly caring about their needs, 100 percent.

They compared that to his public political persona, the BOMBASTIC CARNIVAL BARKER that appears might be propelling him to at least the republican nomination.

The conclusion was these are two completely POLAR OPPOSITE personalities.

They honestly didn't know which of the two was REAL Trump.

They both concluded one of the Trumps is a TOTAL ACTING SHOW.

Which one ... who knows?

And this person is running for president?

Maby he can get a full time job for comedy central.

Maybe a good choice - look at all the clowns from both sides that have been in office for the past several decades.

Can't wait for Trump to be in the White House. All the right sorts of people are running scared. Illegals. Cultural Kommissars. Big Money contributors. And the corrupt Clintons and their supporters. Not to mention the Republican establishment.

...and when nobody is around he gets on his knees and thanks his imaginary friend for his unusual wealth.

Well he is right but for the wrong reasons. Starbuck is an far overpriced coffee shop that should be boycotted .

Right on ! Worst 2 cups of coffee I ever had were in starbucks, one in China and one in Bangkok. Couldn,t even taste any coffee, and it wasn,t cheap either !!

Starbucci, the answer was to come up with various cup designs not dumb it down to a one

size fits all. Christmas,Hanukkah, Festivus. You missed out. I shake my head.

Its genuis. Could Trump actually begin getting normal people who work and pay taxes out protesting the sickness that is infecting their culture? It would be a first for those who have been bending over for a generation now while the left reams its leftist societal sickness up the Western arse; they just dont boycott, protest, or act with herd mentality, not in a productive way. The power to not work, protest, and take to the streets evolved uniquely with the facist/left.

Finally the voice of the desperate center is heard and it is not abortion, Palin, or gay marriage, but Christmas cups that brought together their collective line in the sand. With the entire US culture now fragmented and hollowed out of subtance and words of meaning, the greatest christian genocide sweeping the world in 1,500 years, they will band together to declare christmas cups their Waterloo! (If this were a book plot the publisher would nix it asserting there must be some shred of reality in the plot).

Actually, Starbucks is about as sick an organization as one can get, blurring long ago the line between business and activism. Trump knows this. As absurd as this is I wish it would work but in working, the polarization only escalates, the country will not heal.

...and when nobody is around he gets on his knees and thanks his imaginary friend for his unusual wealth.

And, of course, his dad.

Oh is it time to start the fear mongering about the war on Xmas again?

As a Christian, I am sick to death of the Xmas season.

Before it was 12 days of Xmas now it is 2 - 3 months of Xmas. It is getting longer every year yet these idiots on FOX news keep trying to say there is a war against it!!

Xmas lasts almost as long as the election season in the US!!!

Best part of living in Asia is getting away from all the Xmas crap back home but now it is even getting bad here too.

Oh is it time to start the fear mongering about the war on Xmas again?

As a Christian, I am sick to death of the Xmas season.

Before it was 12 days of Xmas now it is 2 - 3 months of Xmas. It is getting longer every year yet these idiots on FOX news keep trying to say there is a war against it!!

Xmas lasts almost as long as the election season in the US!!!

Best part of living in Asia is getting away from all the Xmas crap back home but now it is even getting bad here too.

I couldn't agree more, if you are a Christian, (I am practicing - not very good at it, but practicing), then Christmas is a great feast. Celebrate it as such, go to Mass/or an appropriate service, eat, drink, be merry.. But let us divorce it from the whole "Holidays, giant lorries full of Coca Cola coming through the mountains, Starbucks special cups b*ll*cks.

At least the Asian Christmas scene avoids the hypocrisy of pretending to be a great feast, whilst really being a giant commercial opportunity. Here it is commercial, there is no pretending. Refreshing, and I find easier to deal with.

I have to admit I am highly amused by the pattern of passive aggressive sentence structure he uses.

"Maybe we should boycott Starbucks. I don't know," he said. "Seriously, I don't care."

That is definitely part of his highly engineered schtick. He does that kind of thing again and again. It's no accident.

He didn't ACTUALLY call for a boycott of Starbucks, did he?

Can't wait for Trump to be in the White House. All the right sorts of people are running scared. Illegals. Cultural Kommissars. Big Money contributors. And the corrupt Clintons and their supporters. Not to mention the Republican establishment.

In some countries, idiotic bigots like DT don't need to be elected, they just join the army and then take over.

There was a discussion about Trump's persona on Bill Maher's Real Time.

Two people who have dealt with Trump personally for years both said in private he's a sweetheart and truly caring about their needs, 100 percent.

They compared that to his public political persona, the BOMBASTIC CARNIVAL BARKER that appears might be propelling him to at least the republican nomination.

The conclusion was these are two completely POLAR OPPOSITE personalities.

They honestly didn't know which of the two was REAL Trump.

They both concluded one of the Trumps is a TOTAL ACTING SHOW.

Which one ... who knows?

Excellent show last week. Tarantino has another Western coming out. Can't wait. Love his movies.

This is just the usual 'War on christmas' that plays to the religious zealots. Cue 'Fox and Friends' and the 'No Spin Zone'. Angry old men shouting at clouds.

Look at it this way. If Trump wins the republican ticket then that tells you what the rhe republicans want as their leader. If he then goes on and wins the presidency then that indicates what the US people want in their president. All us foreigners may look on in amazement and wonder what planet they are on BUT! It's their choice and their funeral and we all have to respect that. The danger is what chaos he would cause internationally and that really is frightening.

Of course we all know it isn't going to happen and at the moment it is very entertaining to see the clown in full flow

Look at it this way. If Trump wins the republican ticket then that tells you what the rhe republicans want as their leader. If he then goes on and wins the presidency then that indicates what the US people want in their president. All us foreigners may look on in amazement and wonder what planet they are on BUT! It's their choice and their funeral and we all have to respect that.

I wouldn't really want him with his finger on the button of one of the world's largest nuclear arsenals.

Especially if I was Mexican.

He loves the Mexicans.

OMG...this really happened? Say it isn't so. This is newssss becausssseee.....Trump opened his mouth? Biggest problem with the US is the 'True' news is never news and the BS always makes headlines.

If Trump restores Christmas, then surely he will restore marriage, ban fetal murder, and ban homosexuals from the armed forces as well as deranged drag queens from the bathrooms of the opposite sex, In other words, he will end the nightmare of President elected for the color of his skin and not the content of his character.

And with a ten point lead over Hellary in the polls, Christmas is coming to a Starbucks cup near you.

An you are a "Donkey Lover"?

"Maybe we should boycott Starbucks. I don't know," he said. "Seriously, I don't care."

You've almost got to admire the guy for coming up with this beaut. Actually, now that I think about it, he should just say this for every potential policy point:

Maybe we should defund Obamacare. I don't know. Seriously, I don't care.

Maybe we should put troops on the ground in Syria. I don't know. Seriously, I don't care.

Maybe we should incentivize businesses to create more jobs. I don't know. Seriously, I don't care.

But seriously, even the most ardent of fanboys has to be able to see through this hucksterism. At least I hope so.

Oh is it time to start the fear mongering about the war on Xmas again?

As a Christian, I am sick to death of the Xmas season.

Before it was 12 days of Xmas now it is 2 - 3 months of Xmas. It is getting longer every year yet these idiots on FOX news keep trying to say there is a war against it!!

Xmas lasts almost as long as the election season in the US!!!

Best part of living in Asia is getting away from all the Xmas crap back home but now it is even getting bad here too.

I am not a christian but am equally sick to death of the Xmas season. Jeez, in the US Xmas is so commercially base its just downright disagreeable, from Summer to January! Christian Christmas, appropriated from the pagans, has long ago lost its cultural value. It may continue to be meaningful on the liturgical calendar but its a cultural disaster now.

There is no fear-mongering when people protest there is a war on Xmas, this would be incorrect. There has not/never been a war on Xmas and people who say such are missing the forest for the trees. There is a full blown attack on anything Christian in America, however. Again, I could not give a hoot less but to deny this is true is disingenuous (not you). Christianity is under attack throughout the entire world and the liberal deconstruction of America has Christianity in its sights for some time. Its self evident.

Can't wait for Trump to be in the White House. All the right sorts of people are running scared. Illegals. Cultural Kommissars. Big Money contributors. And the corrupt Clintons and their supporters. Not to mention the Republican establishment.

In some countries, idiotic bigots like DT don't need to be elected, they just join the army and then take over.

"In some countries..." false analogy, we are discussing America. "Idiotic bigots..." Read pejorative, demonization, ridicule; nothing substantial. "...they just... take over." Read association, linkage, demonization. The liberal playbook is the second most hateful 'book' ever created. A leftist reveals his/her hand every single time by demonization and ridicule (this is of course right out of the Alinsky playbook). Its as if the hatred must sign everything they say or write to identify the real source of the comment. In every case pejorative replaces substance.

.... as well as deranged drag queens from the bathrooms of the opposite sex, ...

Is this a nationwide issue or just a Houston, TX peculiarity?

I have to admit I am highly amused by the pattern of passive aggressive sentence structure he uses.

"Maybe we should boycott Starbucks. I don't know," he said. "Seriously, I don't care."

That is definitely part of his highly engineered schtick. He does that kind of thing again and again. It's no accident.

He didn't ACTUALLY call for a boycott of Starbucks, did he?

Maybe all of Trumps casinos should be boycotted!! Do they provide a better Xmas for people or does he feed on the gambling addictions to take every last cent from whoever he can?

How many families will be affected by his greed this year?