The council is 'designed to provide direct input to the president from many of the best and brightest in the business world in a frank, non-bureaucratic, and nonpartisan manner,' according to a Blackstone press release in December announcing its formation. Nordstrom denied partisanship in the decision to drop Trump's brand, insisting the move was made as a result of poor sales months after it was hit by a grassroots boycott started by a marketing specialist and a grandmother. The Grab Your Wallet campaign was launched on October 11 by Shannon Coulter and Sue Atencio after they 'simultaneously realized they could no longer in good conscience shop at retailers that do business with the Trump family'. The campaign compiled a list of businesses that sell Trump family goods. The extensive list also includes companies that advertise on Celebrity Apprentice or executives that have raised money for President Donald Trump. The campaign name was direct reference to the president's infamous 'grab them by the p***y' remark from 2005 a leaked audio tape that led to numerous allegations of sexual assault. In November, Nordstrom responded to a shopper's letter calling for the company to stop selling the brand, tweeting: 'We hope that offering a vendor's products isn't misunderstood as us taking a political position; we're not.' By Thursday evening, Nordstrom had completely taken off the first daughter's merchandise from their website. She was also not listed on Nordstrom's master list of brands available and the page that previously featured items from her brand was empty. But some of her goods can be found online on its Rack site, which is the department store's value-focused chain. Nordstrom said it cuts about 10 per cent of its merchandise each year and Ivanka's brand was axed due to its flagging performance. A spokesperson didn’t reveal whether the decision to stop buying the brand was permanent and said they make buying decisions from season to season. 'I am absolutely thrilled, and I know the vast majority of Grab Your Wallet participants will be as well,' Coulter said. Nordstrom has come under fire from Trump supporters, but the Seattle-based department chain insisted the move was not political. 'Our buying decisions are based on sales, so it was not a political decision for us. We're sorry for any disappointment,' Nordstrom tweeted to one user. In another message, they repeated the statement reiterating the move is 'based on its sales performance.' When the mother-of-three first launched the Ivanka Trump footwear line in 2011, Nordstrom was one of the first retail partnerships for her, as Marc Fisher Footwear is the licensee for the products.
