Camping and hiking gear retailers REI have a new CEO who denounced the company’s endorsement of one of Donald Trump’s cabinet members amid pressure from left-leaning unions. 

In January, the company signed a letter along with several of their peers endorsing former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum for Secretary of the Interior, which he received confirmation for. 

The company’s previous CEO Eric Artz said his show of ‘strong support’ was done to get REI ‘a seat at the table.’ 

REI Union, which seeks to unionize, released a video and put pressure on the company asking them to reconsider over statements Burgum made supportive of clean coal, building housing on public lands and using Alaskan land to mine natural resources.  

Mary Beth Laughton, the company’s new CEO, caved in and immediately disavowed the decision.  

‘Let me be clear, signing that letter was a mistake. Our public lands are under attack,’ Laughton said in an Instagram post.

‘One way to show your values is to show action, she later told Fortune Magazine, explaining the decision.

She specifically cited her dedication to the much-derided principles of DEI as part of her reasoning. 

Camping and hiking gear retailers REI have a new CEO, Mary Beth Laughton (pictured), who denounced the company’s endorsement of one of Donald Trump ‘s cabinet members amid pressure from left-leaning unions

In January, the company signed a letter along with several of their peers endorsing former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (pictured center) for Secretary of the Interior, which he received confirmation for

‘At a time our public lands are under threat and values like diversity and inclusion are under threat, we are being clear that we believe those values are essential to our business,’ she said.

Her own company may be under its own threat, however, as they reported net losses in each of the last three years.

The company also faces even more pressure from the REI Union, which has voted to unionize 11 of the nearly 200 REI locations.  

Laughton said she’s happy to let the company espouse liberal values but they do have to go about making money.

‘We have to make sure we’re making profits in order to continue to live our values and our purpose,’ she said.

Burgum, 68, has portrayed himself as a traditional, business-minded conservative and was seen as being on the short list to be Trump’s vice president. 

He ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination before quitting and becoming a loyal Trump supporter, appearing at fundraisers and advocating for Trump on television.

Since his victory, Trump has chosen several loyalists with little experience for key Cabinet positions, stunning some allies and making clear that he is serious about reshaping – and in some cases testing – America’s institutions. 

REI Union, which seeks to unionize, released a video and put pressure on the company asking them to reconsider over statements Burgum (pictured) made supportive of clean coal, building housing on public lands and using Alaskan land to mine natural resources

He is a billionaire businessman surrounded by a loving family and has the support of a wife who has her own inspirational back story overcoming drug and alcohol addiction.

Burgum ran his own self-funded campaign for governor and taking on the Republican establishment while winning the affection of voters in the state.

Though a long shot candidate for president in 2020, Republican consultants in DC appreciated his outside-the-box thinking that allowed him to stay in the debates by building up his donor list by handing out $20 gift cards for a one dollar donation.

Political operatives viewed Burgum with many of the same qualities as former Vice President Mike Pence used to have – low key, no drama, Midwestern appeal, and not a national figure trying to raise his political profile beyond Trump.

Burgum has the additional qualities of a successful businessman who, like Trump, has a practical view on politics. 

His connections to wealthy donors were also considered an asset to the campaign.

Before the selection of J.D. Vance, Trump’s former campaign chief Corey Lewandowski mentioned Burgum as one of the ‘top three’ candidates currently under consideration for his running mate.

‘His record is probably not as strong as it could have been from a rock rib conservative state like North Dakota but Doug is someone who has spent a lot of time with the president lately,’ Lewandowski said in a New Hampshire radio interview, stressing he was only speaking for himself, and not for Trump.

North Dakota’s newfound prominence in the energy industry lifted Burgum’s profile as he ran his campaign on importance of America becoming energy independent and economically prosperous. 

His record on energy sparked chatter that he could one day be Trump’s pick for Secretary of Energy, much like former Gov. Rick Perry did in Trump’s first term.