Citizen’s United, a pet project of the Republican party, has forever changed American politics for the worse. By deeming unlimited political donations by corporations to be free speech protected by our constitution, the will of the average working public has been thwarted. Billionaires like Elon Musk can now single handedly elect the president of their choosing. That’s not how American democracy was designed back in 1776.

When we’re fighting fascism promoted by a bunch of billionaires, one thing you can do to fight back is to spend your money wisely and not buy products from them. Even better, contact these companies directly, either by mail, email, or phone, and explain to them that you won’t be supporting them with your hard earned dollars due to their undemocratic behavior.

A good place to direct your attention is the customer relations or customer service department.

Airbnb

Airbnb’s billionaire co-founder, Joe Gebbia, has joined Elon Musk’s DOGE. The company also donated $100K to Trump.

Amazon

Owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, it is the largest retailer in the world, yet it’s one of the least worker friendly corporations out there. (That’s how you get to be a billionaire.) Amazon has terrible working conditions, and they resist any efforts of their workers to unionize. They are responsible for the decimation of local businesses around the country, as the little guys (and even some of the big stores) find it impossible to compete against this behemoth. They also rolled back their DEI programs.

(Pro tip, do your product research on Amazon, find what you want to buy, and then search the web based on that product’s P/N. Often you’ll find it for less, either direct from the manufacturer, or another retailer.)

Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook personally donated $1M to Trump’s inauguration fund. While Cook tried to pass it off as a personal donation, the thought of a gay man making a $1M donation to Trump because he loves his policies is hard to swallow. This, like every other donation to the inauguration fund was an out and out bribe to Trump. Apple Corporation also donated to the Epstein Ballroom project.

AT&T

They got caught making a $600K to Trump’s lawyer for a “consultation”. Separately, they also donated $1M to him. They donated to Republicans involved in the Jan. 6th coup attempt. They helped build One American News, which is further right than Fox. Besides all that, they’re just a crappy phone and Internet company.

Avelo Airlines

The airline contracted with Homeland Security to provide deportation flights.

Coca Cola

Donated $250K to Trump. Or maybe Trump just bought that much Diet Coke.

Pepsi if you have to, but filtered water from the tap is so much better for you and the environment.

Ford

Ford donated $1M and the use of a bunch of their vehicles to the inauguration.

Hilton Hotels

Hilton has a corporate policy that all TVs in their public spaces must be tuned to Fox News.

Alternative: Marriot Hotels has reaffirmed their support for their DEI policies.

Home Depot

The home improvement chain has long supported the Republican agenda. They have donated over $1M to Republicans who promoted Trump’s Big Lie.

Lowe’s

The home improvement retailer scaled back its DEI initiatives in August 2024.

McDonald’s

Rolled back their DEI program. Their food sucks anyway. No loss.

Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Whatsapp)

Facebook helped Trump get elected in 2016 by allowing Cambridge Analytica to use personal data gathered on the social media site to send targeted ads to their users. Mark Zuckerberg is a billionaire, having made his money off of selling your personal information. He supports Trump ($1M donation) and the right wing, and has used his social media platforms to promote right wing content while suppressing left wing content. He has removed fact checking from his platforms because the right wing can only survive by their lies. We encourage people to give up those three platforms and move to Mastodon.

Starlink

Don’t even bother complaining to this company, just don’t use them. Not only is Starlink owned by Elon Musk, the satellites are bad for the planet. They obscure the night sky, and they help destroy the ozone layer when they burn up on re-entry.

Target

After Trump took office, Target immediately announced they were suspending their DEI program.

Alternative: Costco board of directors has reaffirmed their DEI support after a shareholder proposal attempted to get rid of them.

Tesla

When their latest vehicle has earned the nicknames the Deplorean, Incel Camino, and worst of all Swasticar, you know it should be boycotted. Tesla’s overpriced stock is the bulk of Elon’s wealth, and protesting at dealerships and publicizing how bad he is for the brand is tanking their sales. Their stock price has been plummeting, and this is one real indication that boycotts and protests work. Keep at it folks!

Toyota

Once the heat was off, Toyota went right back to donating to the Republicans who supported Trump’s Big Lie and the attack on our Capitol. Under pressure once it was made public, they promised they would stop, then broke their promise. Then just in case that escaped your notice, the chairman of Toyota made it perfectly clear he supports MAGA.

Tractor Supply Co.

In June 2024, Tractor Supply Company announced that it was ending its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and climate goals.

Uline

Aside from clogging your mailbox with their huge and wasteful catalogs, this company donated $10M to Trump.

Verizon

Verizon wanted to buy Frontier Communications, which happens to the be the phone company that serves Ferndale. They needed FCC approval to get it. They ensured they’d get that approval by bowing down to Trump’s demand that they get rid of their DEI policies.

WalMart

Walmart has never been a good place to shop. Long before they came to California, they were destroying small businesses in the mid-west and then the cancer spread to the entire nation. The Walton family that own the corporation is right wing and they are major contributors to Republican politicians. Recently, they rolled back their DEI programs.

X

Formerly the very useful Twitter, Elon Musk has turned his re-branded social media platform into an absolute shit hole. He fully supports free speech for Nazis, but will suppress any criticism of himself, and he bars links to competing services like Bluesky and Mastodon. Jared Huffman, and every other Democratic politician needs to get off that platform. So do you if you are still there.

Alternative: Mastodon