Conservatives have power now to make woke businesses face consequences for their politicized behavior. And it’s a wonderful thing to see.
One ray of hope amidst the horror of the Charlie Kirk assassination and the tidal wave of violent glee that followed it was how businesses and schools were willing to act on complaints from customers and other citizens about terroristic posts or comments. We just saw another example of accountability in action with the Minneapolis Hilton hotel that canceled reservations for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers.
As I wrote earlier today, a Hilton hotel in Minneapolis canceled ICE officers’ reservations and said it was explicitly because of their work to enforce immigration law. “We have noticed an influx of GOV reservations made today that have been for DHS, and we are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property,” said the hotel email published by DHS. “If you are with DHS or immigration, let us know as we will have to cancel your reservation. Please pass on this info to your coworkers that we are not allowing any immigration agents to house on our property.”
Related: [UPDATE] Minneapolis Hilton Cancels ICE Agents’ Reservations, Hilton Responds
Either Hilton corporate realized the scandal was blowing up online or they received a call from Justice Department Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, because they provided Fox News with the following statement: “Hilton hotels serve as welcoming places for all. This hotel is independently owned and operated, and the actions referenced are not reflective of Hilton values. We are investigating this matter with this individual hotel, and can confirm that Hilton works with governments, law enforcement, and community leaders around the world to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone.”
Yes, the fact the federal government exposed them had an impact, but some big businesses took pleasure in the past in defying the Trump administration and Republicans. Because immigration enforcement is especially controversial right now, the Minneapolis hotel management obviously thought they were virtuous and untouchable for their actions.
But this is the new Trump era, and Hilton Hotels understood very quickly this was going to be a PR disaster for them. Within just a few hours of DHS posting about the cancellations, Hilton had responded. Their tone was conciliatory and apologetic. Perhaps they feared that the Minneapolis hotel management were verging on breaking federal law, or perhaps they received a flood of complaints and bad press.
This ought to be a source of encouragement to us. We can be sure that we have a federal government willing to call out questionable bias from businesses, and we know that we also have the power to influence corporate decisions. Bud Light tried to defy public opinion and suffered for it. American Eagle leaned into the public’s taste, and its stock shot up. This past Pride Month, few major retailers were willing to be loud about LGBTQ campaigns.
What a change a few years makes. This is the era where businesses know they have to respect conservatives’ opinions.
