Donald Trump Jr. blasts Nike with 'Communist' sneaker after 'offensive' Fourth of July shoe scrapped

3 Jul, 2019 17:21 / Updated 5 years ago

Donald Trump Jr has hit back at Nike's decision to scrap a special Fourth of July shoe featuring the Betsy Ross flag with a mock up design of red and gold sneakers with a Communist 'hammer and sickle' doctored onto the Nike logo.

The limited-edition Air Max 1 was pulled after a complaint from former NFL player turned activist Colin Kaepernick complained to the sportswear giant he found the flag offensive because of it's connection to America's slavery era.

READ MORE: Outrage as Nike scraps American flag sneaker after complaint from Colin Kaepernick

In response, Trump Jr. quipped on Wednesday: "If the Betsy Ross Flag, the flag of the American Revolution, is too offensive for Nike to commemorate The 4th of July maybe Nike should go with this... seems to be more in line with their views."

Nike planned to release the shoe on Monday and priced at $140 to commemorate Independence Day in the US, but pulled the plug on its launch after Kaepernick's qualm with its flag feature.

Consisting of 13 white stars in a circle, referencing a Revolutionary War-era version of the American flag and commonly known as 'The Betsy Ross'.

Unsurprisingly, the news didn't go down well with a string of public figures, including senator Ted Cruz, who vowed to boycott Nike products until the company ended its "contempt for American values".

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (Rep) announced on Tuesday he is ordering a withdrawal of incentives for Nike’s manufacturing plant in the state over the move to scrap the sneaker that featured the ‘Betsy Ross flag.’

“Words cannot express my disappointment at this terrible decision. I am embarrassed for Nike,” Ducey tweeted. “Nike is an iconic American brand and American company. This country, our system of government and free enterprise have allowed them to prosper and flourish.”

In the midst of a brewing boycott, Nike later elaborated on their stance, claiming they were concerned it could "unintentionally offend" and would detract from a patriotic holiday.

“We regularly make business decisions to withdraw initiatives, products and services,” Nike said, Bloomberg reported.

“Nike made the decision to halt distribution of the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July based on concerns that it could unintentionally offend and detract from the nation’s patriotic holiday.”