Toyota’s money is certainly “going places,” but its standing with Twitter users and potential customers may not be.
The Japanese automobile giant came under fire on Monday, after Axios reported that it had donated $55,000 to 37 members of Congress who objected to the results of the 2020 presidential election. The report cited data from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a left-leaning government watchdog organization.
CREW data shows that Koch Industries and AT&T were also among the corporations to donate to election objectors in Congress, though the Toyota money more than doubled the contributions of any other corporation.
Among the recipients of Toyota donations are Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) and Alex Mooney (R-WV). Biggs’ campaign received $1,000 in February, while Luetkemeyer and Mooney’s campaigns each received $1,000 in March.
In a statement emailed to Axios, a Toyota spokesperson defended the company’s donations:
“Toyota supports candidates based on their position on issues that are important to the auto industry and the company. We do not believe it is appropriate to judge members of Congress solely based on their votes on the electoral certification.”
Of course, the Toyota story struck a chord with Twitter progressives, who promoted the idea that the car manufacturer is fundamentally opposed to the tenets of democracy.
I’ll never purchase @Toyota ever again. The company props up anti-Democratic politicians.
— Tim Hannan (@TimHannan) June 28, 2021
Toyota is actively undermining democracy in the United States. Shameful
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) June 28, 2021
.@Toyota is bankrolling the Big Lie.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) June 28, 2021
MaddowBlog: The more Toyota feels comfortable supporting anti-election Republicans, the more others are likely to follow, removing another layer of accountability for those who chose to defy democracy without remorse. https://t.co/csuEMbLoEh
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 28, 2021
Given the intense backlash, Toyota’s stock dropped slightly on Monday. However, MarketWatch has warned that the decline could continue if the “Boycott Toyota” movements gain traction.
Toyota is not known as a particularly conservative corporation. During the Black Lives Matter riots last summer, Toyota released a statement on social injustice. The company also encouraged its employees to observe eight minutes of silence for the late George Floyd.