Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) pilloried American corporations for their "woke" criticism of politics at home, even as they profit from cooperation with China.
Rubio said Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola, and other companies have taken foolish social justice stands to appease consumers—while raking in fistfuls of cash from Beijing.
"They make billions of dollars in a country that doesn't even have elections," Rubio said of many major corporations. "But in America, they’re prepared to boycott a state and condemn them publicly to show and prove how woke they are."
#WokeCorporateHypocrites pic.twitter.com/ZHFTias5pg
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) April 1, 2021
The video comes after a public spat between Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian and Georgia governor Brian Kemp (R.) over a voting rights bill signed into law last week. Proponents of the bill say it would increase security in election practices, but critics say it would suppress voter turnout. President Joe Biden went as far as to say the bill was "Jim Crow in the 21st century."
After talk of a boycott from activists, Georgia-based companies Delta and Coca-Cola caved to demands and issued statements condemning the Georgia law. Bastian said the law "does not match Delta’s values" and targets African-American communities. But Kemp responded the law had similar identification requirements to air travel on Delta—both require a photo ID.
Rubio also requested Delta return his letter asking the company to condemn human rights abuses in China. The airline is a business partner of the Chinese Communist Party, which oversees the genocide of Uighur Muslims in western China and ranks among the world’s worst human rights violators. Delta expanded its flight schedule to China following a rebound in travel last summer.
"I look forward to that letter saying that genocide does not reflect the values of Delta Air Lines," Rubio said. "Of course they’re not going to send that letter. Nor is Coca-Cola."