>>> MY FAVORITE PART OF THE SHOW.
SHOW. MONEY, POWER, POLITICS.
THE NFL KICKED OFF A NEW SEASON
LAST NIGHT, AND NIKE’S NEW AD
MADE ITS TELEVISION DEBUT.
>> IF YOU’RE BORN A REFUGEE,
DON’T LET IT STOP YOU FROM
PLAYING SOCCER FOR THE NATIONAL
TEAM AT AGE 16.
DON’T BECOME THE BEST BASKETBALL
PLAYER ON THE PLANET.
BE BIGGER THAN BASKETBALL.
BELIEVE IN SOMETHING, EVEN IF IT
MEANS SACRIFICING EVERYTHING.
>> THE NARRATER AND NEW FOCUS,
OF COURSE, IS COLIN KAEPERNICK.
HE IS AN OUTSPOKEN ADVOCATE FOR
SOCIAL JUSTICE.
SOCIAL JUSTICE. THIS IS THE GUY WHO BEGAN HIS
PROTEST IN 2016 BY KNEELING
DURING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, AND
PRESIDENT TRUMP, OF COURSE, HAS
BEEN VERY OUTSPOKEN AGAINST SUCH
PROTESTS ALMOST AS LONG.
THE PRESIDENT ONCE AGAIN TOOK
AIM AT KAEPERNICK, THE NFL, AND
NIKE, LAST NIGHT IN MONTANA.
>> MR. PRESIDENT, TONIGHT IS THE
FIRST NFL GAME.
THEY DON’T HAVE AS MANY VIEWERS
AS THEY USED TO COLIN KAEPERNIC
NFL TO NIKE, WHO IS GOING TO WIN
THIS?
THIS? >> WE ARE.
HONESTLY, I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE
NFL IS DOING.
I DON’T LIKE WHAT NIKE DID.
I DON’T THINK IT’S APPROPRIATE,
WHAT THEY DID.
I HONOR THE FLAG.
I HONOR OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, PEOPLE IN THIS
COUNTRY FEEL THE SAME WAY.
>> MY DEAR FRIEND AND CO-FOUNDER
OF RISK REVERSAL.
THE PRESIDENT SAYS, I DON’T LIKE
WHAT NIKE DID.
NIKE TOOK A PAGE DIRECTLY FROM
DONALD TRUMP’S PLAYBOOK.
THEY SAID SOMETHING
CONTROVERSIAL AND GENERATED A
MASSIVE AMOUNT OF FREE PRESS.
IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED $163
MILLION WORTH OF FREE BUZZ FROM
THIS.
THIS. THAT IS PRESIDENT TRUMP’S JAM.
HOW COULD HE NOT LIKE IT?
>> YEAH, LISTEN, THIS IS ONE OF
THE LARGEST MULTI-NATIONALS IN
THE WORLD, 130 BILLION MARKET
CAP COMPANY.
CAP COMPANY. THEY’RE GOING TO SELL ABOUT 40
BILLION IN FOOTWEAR AND APPAREL.
60% SOFT SALES ARE FROM OUTSIDE
OF NORTH AMERICA.
THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO MAKE THIS
A REFERENDUM ON PATRIOTISM.
I THINK WHAT NIKE WANTS TO DO IS
MAKE IT A REFERENDUM ON THE
VALUES THIS COUNTRY IS FOUNDED
ON.
ON. THAT, TO ME, IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT ASPECT ABOUT THIS.
>> ISN’T NIKE REALLY JUST TRYING
TO CHANGE THE CONVERSATION, IN
THAT, NIKE IS NO ANGEL HERE.
LOOK AT THE ISSUES NIGHKE HAS
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. THE AMOUNT OF MANAGEMENT CHANGES
THEY’VE HAD TO HAVE BECAUSE OF
THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT ISSUES, ME
TOO ISSUES.
TOO ISSUES. WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT.
IT IS MASTERFUL NIKE HAS SAID,
THIS IS WHAT WE STAND FOR, AND
PEOPLE ARE CLINGING TO IT.
FORGETTING THAT, I MEAN, COME
ON, THIS IS A COMPANY THAT’S NOT
WITHOUT THEIR OWN PROBLEMS.
>> THEY’RE NOT A PERFECT
COMPANY.
COMPANY. THAT’S FOR SURE.
WE ALL KNOW THEY ALSO, YOU KNOW,
ABUSE LABOR IN POOR COUNTRIES IN
ORDER TO MAKE THE SNEAKERS AND
THEIR APPAREL.
THEIR APPAREL. I THINK WHAT THEY’RE DOING IS
SORT OF STANDING BY THEIR
SLOGAN, WHICH IS JUST DO IT.
WHAT SHOULD NOT GET LOST IS
COLIN KAEPERNICK IS TALKING
ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE.
HE’S TALKING ABOUT
AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEN, WOMEN, AND
CHILDREN WHO ARE SHOT, UNARMED,
WHO ARE SHOT BY POLICE, AND
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THIS, NO
ACCOUNTABILITY WHEN THAT
HAPPENS.
HAPPENS. THERE’S RARELY ANY, EVER,
ACCOUNTABILITY.
ACCOUNTABILITY. HE HAS NEVER SAID, I CAN’T STAND
THE ANTHEM.
THE ANTHEM. I HATE THAT PART WHERE IT SAYS,
"THE ROCKET’S RED GLARE."
FOR TRUMP AND, I THINK, HIS
SUPPORTERS, TO HIJACK IT AND SAY
THAT HE IS PROTESTING THE FLAG,
HE’S PROTESTING THE ANTHEM, IT
IS FACTUAL INCORRECT.
IF ANYONE TAKES THE TIME TO
LISTEN WHAT IT IS HE SAID, HE’S
SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, HE WANTS
SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR ALL.
WHY IS THAT SUCH A RADICAL THING
IN 2018?
IN 2018? >> DAN, SHAREHOLDERS JUST WANT
SNEAKERS SOLD.
SNEAKERS SOLD. IS IT A RISK THAT A COMPANY LIKE
THIS STARTS TO WEIGH IN ON
POLITICAL ISSUES BECAUSE THE
NEXT HOT BUTTON ISSUE, ARE WE
GOING TO SAY, NIKE, WHAT DO YOU
HAVE TO SAY?
TO OTHER CONSUMER PRODUCT
COMPANIES, DO THEY FEEL THEY
HAVE TO WEIGH IN?
>> IT IS DICEY.
>> I DON’T THINK SO.
LOOK AT THEIR BIGGEST
ENDORSEMENTS.
ENDORSEMENTS. LOOK AT LeBRON AND SERENA.
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMFORT
COMFORTABLE SPEAKING OUT ABOUT
SOCIAL ISSUES.
SOCIAL ISSUES. WHAT THEY’RE DOING, I THINK, THE
REFRAMING THE NARRATIVE AROUND
WHAT THEY THINK IS A KEY
DEMOGRAPHIC GOING FORWARD,
ESPECIALLY HERE IN NORTH
AMERICA.
AMERICA. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THIS NEVER
AGAIN, HOW THIS KIND OF REALLY
TOOK OVER IN AMERICA, THEY’RE
TAPPING INTO THIS YOUNGER SORT
OF CONSUMER THAT IS FOCUSED ON
THESE ISSUES IN A WAY WE HAVEN’T
SEEN IN A VERY LONG TIME.
TO ME, I SEE THAT AS A VERY
SMART REFRAMING OF THIS WHOLE
DEBATE.
DEBATE. >> IT’S NOT NEW FROM THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. WE’VE SEEN THE PRESIDENT BASHING
THE NFL, BASHING PLAYERS.
IS THIS A WINNING STRATEGY FOR
HIM?
HIM? I MEAN, HE CAN GO UP THERE AND
SAY, THE RATINGS ARE WAY DOWN.
THE RATINGS WERE ALREADY DOWN.
YOUR KIDS DON’T PLAY FOOTBALL.
MY KIDS DON’T PLAY FOOTBALL.
WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS GROWING UP,
HE LOVED FOOTBALL.
IT WAS HIS SPORT.
I DON’T HAVE A SINGLE FRIEND
WHOSE SONS DON’T PLAY FOOTBALL.
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH COLIN
KAEPERNICK AND THE FLAG.
IT HAS TO DO WITH HEAD INJURIES.
IS THE PRESIDENT CONFLATING
ISSUES TO MAKE IT A WINNING
ARGUMENT WITH HIM?
>> I THINK HE IS SUCCESSFUL WITH
HIS BASE.
HIS BASE. HE HARPS ON THESE ISSUES THAT
WORK VERY WELL FOR HIS BASE,
THAT KEEPS HIS BASE UNITED.
HE CANNOT REMAIN IN THAT WHITE
HOUSE IF HE DOES NOT HAVE THE
FULL SUPPORT OF HIS BASE.
>> BUT HIS BASE IS NOT ENOUGH TO
WIN.
WIN. IT HAS TO BE MORE.
>> IT ISN’T.
IT IS ENOUGH TO KEEP HIM JUST
THERE.
THERE. ALL HE NEEDS TO DO IS CONSTANTLY
SPEW THINGS THAT ARE NOT TRUE,
LIES, NOBODY WANTS TO SAY LIE
ANYMORE.
ANYMORE. I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY.
>> WE DO, IT’S LIES.
>> HE TELLS THESE LIES SS OVER A
OVER AGAIN.
OVER AGAIN. HIS BASE BELIEVES IT.
IT WORKS.
IT WORKS. WHY WOULD HE STOP?
>> WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT WITH
HIS BASE IS THEY ARE NOT
BENEFICIARIES OF THE TAX CUT.
THEY WOULDN’T BE FOR REPEAL AND
REPLACE OBAMACARE.
REPLACE OBAMACARE. IT’S ONE OF THE REASONS, I
THINK, REPUBLICANS FEEL
COMFORTABLE WITH THE CULTURAL
ISSUES.
ISSUES. THEY WILL NOT WAIVER ON THESE.
HE WILL CONTINUE TO PRESS THEM,
AS HE DID IN THE CAMPAIGN IN ’16
AND THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
WHAT ARE THE POLICIES THEY’VE
ENACTED IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS
OF HIS ADMINISTRATION?
NONE ARE PARTICULARLY POSITIVE
OR --
OR -- >> THE STRATEGY WORKS.
HE HAS A CULTURAL ARGUMENT THAT
WORKS FOR HIS BASE.
FINANCIAL POLICIES THAT WORK FOR
CORPORATE AMERICA AND THE RICH.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
>> THAT GIVES HIM OVER THE TOP.
>> WHICH, BY THE WAY, IS IN
ESSENCE, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY,
FOR A LONG TIME.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS DONE
VERY WELL WITH CULTURAL ISSUES,
SUCH AS ABORTION AND THINGS LIKE
THAT, WHEREAS, THEIR POLICIES
HAVE BEEN FINANCIAL AND HAVE