Analysts Say Trump Brand Will Endure Anti-Mexican Statements

It's just The Donald being The Donald. Analysts believe Donald Trump's brand is unlikely to suffer any long-term damage from his disparaging campaign remarks about Latinos. The presidential hopeful’s immigration remarks at his June 16 campaign launch—he accused Mexican immigrants of being "rapists" and of bringing drugs and crime into the US—have sparked widespread controversy and led to the retaliatory termination of several of Trump's business relationships. Despite the ongoing fallout and a push to further boycott The Donald's businesses, leading branding experts believe the Trump brand won't go into a tailspin, the Bradenton Herald reported. Nationally recognized branding coach Deb Dib said: “Trump is Trump. He is completely acting ‘on brand.’ And whether you like his brand or don’t like his brand, he is coming across as someone he has always been—someone who doesn’t pander, doesn’t take a back seat.” Among the companies and individuals that have ceased doing business with The Donald are Macy’s, which dropped Trump's clothing line, and acclaimed chef Jose Andres, who abandoned plans to operate a restaurant in a new Trump luxury hotel in Washington, DC. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city would review its business dealings with Trump. The remarks have not impacted Trump at the polls, however, as two new surveys by Fox and CNN showed him in second place in the wild competition for the Republican 2016 presidential nomination. [BH]