- People are boycotting Publix after heiress Julie Jenkins Fancelli was unmasked as a major donor to the January 6 Trump rally.
- Fancelli is not a Publix employee, but must inherit the $ 8.8 billion founding family fortune.
- Fancelli contributed most of the approximately $ 500,000 collected to the “Stop the Steal” rally, reported the WSJ.
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People are calling for a boycott of Publix after the Wall Street Journal unmasked an heiress to the southern food empire as the main donor to the Trump rally that led to the Capitol riots on January 6.
Julie Jenkins Fancelli, an heiress to the nearly $ 9 billion fortune of the founding family Publix, has already donated millions to Republican causes and candidates. On January 30, the WSJ reported that Fancelli contributed $ 300,000 out of a total of approximately $ 500,000 raised to Trump’s now infamous “Stop the Steal” rally.
Publix has a dedicated fan base, but Fancelli’s contribution to the rally was the last straw for many loyal customers, The Guardian reported on Monday. On Monday, the hashtag #BoycottPublix was on the rise on Twitter, with many users expressing outrage and alleging betrayal of Fancelli’s donation.
—Bob South Florida Water Man (@WaterDean) February 15, 2021
—Jordan Knash 🌊🌊🌊⚖️ # ShutItDown (@JordanKnash) February 15, 2021
—Neri Beats (@NeriBeats) February 15, 2021
Fancelli’s donation was facilitated by far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who donated $ 50,000 for the demonstration that resulted in the death of five people, the Journal reported.
After the unrest, corporations rushed to sever ties with former President Trump and end donations to political candidates who supported Trump’s attempt to overturn the election.
Following the publication of the WSJ article, Publix quickly distanced himself from Fancelli in a statement on Twitter and said he did not employ her.
—Publix (@Publix) January 31, 2021
Fancelli is still president of the George Jenkins Foundation, Inc., a charity of Publix founder George Jenkins, which is not affiliated with the supermarket chain. Since the publication of the statement on January 30, the Publix Twitter account – which previously posted about once a day – has been strangely silent.
This is not the first time that Publix has sparked controversy about his political donations. She was criticized after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis awarded the network an exclusive vaccine distribution contract. This was after Publix PAC donated $ 100,000 to its campaign – a spokeswoman for DeSantis said that any implication that the contract was a reward for the donation was “baseless and ridiculous,” according to Lakeland Ledger.
Leaders of predominantly black communities across the state also criticized the contract, saying it deprived many blacks in Florida of the chance of being vaccinated.