According to Huffington Post labor reporter Dave Jamieson, Oreos completely explain the insane U.S. election season. When Mondelez announced recently that it would be offshoring 600 Chicago factory jobs to Mexico, each of the remaining presidential candidates responded in their own way.
Trump called for a boycott and pledged to stop eating Oreos for good, while also taking the opportunity to point out how much Chris Christie loves his snack foods. Today, two in three American adults are either overweight or obese, with obesity defined as more than 20% above the “normal weight” for a given height. Still, Trump’s fat-shaming jab at Christie’s weight felt like a particularly cheap shot (and at Christie’s own fundraiser, no less).
Soon after, Bernie Sanders supporters held a rally outside the Mondelez plant. When Hillary Clinton came to town, the Democratic frontrunner met personally with a group of laid-off workers. Clinton also personally called Mondelez CEO Irene Rosenfeld about the offshoring decision. For those keeping score at home, Rosenfeld makes about 534 times the average U.S. worker with a pay package of about $20 million.
“You could have felt the chill in the room when Secretary Clinton said she called Irene Rosenfeld,” Michael Smith, a laid-off worker, told The Huffington Post. “That will be ingrained in my heart forever, wherever her campaign takes her.”
Now, Nabisco is unveiling two new flavors of Oreos on social media, but it may be too little too late for the brand to avoid the bad press that’s come with this campaign season. For a limited time, anyone who isn’t boycotting Oreos can find Blueberry Pie and Fruity Crisp flavored Oreos on the shelves.
Of course, Trump won’t be enjoying the new flavors, at least not until he changes his mind about the Oreos boycott. The Republican candidate has argued repeatedly against free trade deals, which he says lead to offshoring.
Here’s Trump speaking in New Hampshire on August 14 about America’s favorite cookies:
“Did you know that Nabisco, Nabisco. Did you see it yesterday? Nabisco is closing a factory in Chicago, and they’re moving to Mexico. This big factory. And taking many jobs. I think they’re about 1,200 jobs going to be lost in Chicago. No more Oreos. They make Oreos, don’t they, right? No more Oreos. I don’t like Oreos anymore.”
