(L) Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images / (R) Brian Cornell, board chairman and CEO of Target. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
OAN’s Brooke Mallory
5:01 PM – Monday, November 6, 2023
Target CEO Brian Cornell came under fire from Consumers’ Research executive director Will Hild for telling “flat-out lies” in a recent interview over the big-box retailer’s LGBTQ+ Pride merchandise.
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During his appearance on CNBC last week, Cornell talked about the company’s dropping sales, especially in the wake of the Pride Month product criticism and protests.
Becky Quick, the host of the show, mentioned to Cornell that there were reports of “transgender bathing suits that are being targeted and market[ed] to kids” and that Target had partnered with a designer who was a self-labeled “devil worshiper.”
“You and I both know those weren’t true,” Cornell said in response.
“He just flat-out lies about what Target did,” Hild told journalists, referencing Cornell’s claim.
“He says that they didn’t target children with transgender ideology products, and he says that they didn’t work with the devil worshiper. Both of those things are verifiable facts,” Hild said. “They’ve been reported by a number of different publications, and there’s just no question that this was done. He’s flat out lying to his customers.”
For Pride Month, Target collaborated with the progressive U.K.-based company Abprallen.
Abprallen products bearing slogans like “Satan respects pronouns” have been displayed by the company, and Erik Carnell, the designer, has also publicly endorsed Satanism in past social media posts.
Additionally, the girl’s swimsuits, which boast “tuck-friendly construction” to conceal male genitalia, were positioned in the vibrant Pride sections beside other child-geared goods.
“One additional claim he made is that children were not targeted with these so-called ‘tuck’ bathing suits that were being sold. And that’s just not true. They were placed in and among products made for children next to them into the display. If that’s not targeting children – if you’re putting literally the product next to child’s products – I don’t know what targeting is,” Hild asserted.
Upon the initial discussion of the response to Pride goods in the CNBC interview, Cornell mentioned right away that some Target staff felt more uneasy at work due to the irate customers.
“What we saw coming out of Target CEO Cornell in this interview is a common tactic that companies that get in trouble for going woke use, where they try to put their employees safety or some concerns about their employees well-being in front of their mistake,” Hild maintained. “They focus on that instead of what they’ve done to offend their consumer. And consumers should really see this as another finger in their eye,” he added.
“This guy is trying to pretend like the customer is the real problem here and not the fact that they were trying to push a far-left radical gender ideology on the children or in their store.”
Every year, Target displays large Pride Month displays.
However, this year’s merchandise, the “tuck” bathing suits, caused much controversy with parents. Party supplies, a “Gender Fluid” mug, a “Grow At Your Own Pace” saucer planter, clothes with slogans like “Super Queer,” children’s coloring books with pictures of adults kissing, rainbow onesies and rompers for newborns, and more were all included in the Pride items.
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