Marcus Lemonis, multi-millionaire and famous host of the popular show “The Profit” on CNBC, was in a jam in 2017 and apparently, still is. Amidst the disastrous 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville Virginia, the businessman decided to speak out very strongly. What the businessman did was disavow the event, but neglected to mention that both the protesters and counterprotesters had some bad folks causing trouble that day.
In addition to white supremacists who showed up, there were militant leftists on the other side contributing to and causing violence amidst a controversial stand down order from the city of Charlottesville, Virginia. Lemonis decided to take only one angle of this event and blame a statement by President Trump, where he said there were “good people on both sides” (alluding to the fact that some people showed up thinking that it was merely a protest to preserve the Robert E. Lee monument and nothing more) on a lot of the controversy.
President Trump condemned the hate and violence from any and all sides that day many times to clarify all this. But it apparently wasn’t good enough for Marcus Lemonis. He decided to take his pedestal as a businessman and go onto CNBC to make a bold and dangerous statement. What he said was “if you’re ok with what Trump said, don’t shop at my business“. His largest business, of course, is Camping World, but he owns other businesses as well. To say that he caught a lot of flack from Patriotic Trump supporters nationwide for his outrageous words would be an understatement. There was fury and boycotts galore and he immediately realized the error of his ways and went on record to try to “clear up” his statements on a Facebook live stream shortly thereafter.
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Clearly, his apology did not work as intended though, as many people went on to boycott his businesses, ironically, as he had originally asked people to do. Apparently, Lemonis underestimated President Trump’s supporters and misunderstood his intentions while trying to demonize the President in what may be one of the biggest business blunders the TV show host and entrepreneur has ever made.
To add insult to his own injury, Marcus has been on record as having negative sentiments towards hunters, while also owning a hunting and outdoor supply chain called Gander Mountain. This might also have contributed to part of the astonishing drop in his stock price over the last year and a half.
In addition to hurting himself he has made statements and taken actions that were clearly not in the best interests of the publicly traded company he represents, all for the interests of his own personal political agenda, which to some could be construed, shamefully, as what’s known in the investment world as a breach of fiduciary duty to his shareholders. This breach is often something that many moguls get away with, but in some cases, there can be legal ramifications and penalties.
All this has led up to the news that broke yesterday. In an apparent showdown between the city of Statesville, North Carolina and Camping World’s branch based in that same town, there is a scandal about an American flag blowing up headlines. One can only speculate but it is seemingly clear and apparent that Mr. Lemonis through his location is engaging in a potential publicity stunt by picking a battle with the town about how high the American flag is being allowed to fly on the property.
To your average patriotic American citizen, and yes, likely supporter of President Trump, this would seem like a noble cause. Many left-leaning towns and organizations have gone on record trying to make people take down or minimize the use of the American flag over the false narrative of inclusivity. This situation, however, may yield more than meets the eye.
Is this fight simply a stunt to garner favor with the base of people Mr. Lemonis turned off and offended just a year and a half ago, and to appear like a ‘super patriotic’ American fighting for a beautiful American flag? Could he quietly make the necessary adjustments requested by local code and perhaps still fly the flag simply within the regulations on the books, but is using this to get in the news instead?
Below is a very dramatic and theatrical Tweet from May 18th, one of many that can found littering his Twitter feed, including a “change.org” petition that has been shared multiple times in seemingly desperate attempt to get more people to see it. It’s hard to take him seriously with all the other evidence and his past lack of patriotism after attacking one of the most patriotic presidents of our generation in the opinion of many blue-collar Americans. The same type of Americans who ironically like to camp, hunt, fish and participate in other outdoor activities that are closely related to the businesses owned by Lemonis are the ones being wooed with this action he is taking.
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Well, we may never know for sure but the optics certainly scream PUBLICITY STUNT when you look at the base of people he is attempting to impress, the same type of people he pretty much told to take a hike in the past. Some people may see it as a genuine valiant effort, and either forgive him for his past mistakes or possibly not even remember them at all. But it’s likely that many more will see it as a last-ditch effort to salvage a company that is a dumpster fire in the making and the “business expert” himself who has saved so many small businesses in the past, may not be able to save his own.