A website launched to help Trump supporters find pro-MAGA businesses is now being used by the president’s critics to avoid them, according to a new report in HuffPost.
PublicSquare, an online marketplace that brands itself as the “anti-woke platform,” was designed to connect like-minded consumers with businesses that oppose progressive priorities like reproductive rights and diversity initiatives. To be listed on the site, businesses must affirm their commitment to “family values and God-given liberty,” according to PublicSquare’s website, and agree not to support causes at odds with its ideology.
But as President Donald Trump prepares to mark his 100th day back at the White House amid mounting criticism of his new administration and sinking poll numbers, opponents are flipping around PublicSquare's purpose. Across social media, posts about PublicSquare have gone viral – and just not as a tool to support Trump-aligned businesses.
One such critic is Janet Koenig, who told HuffPost that she was “horrified” to discover one of her regular coffee shops popped up on the list.
ALSO READ: The 50-year war on democracy that built Trump's oligarchy and killed the American dream
“I was like, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Koenig said. “I just assumed they were one of the good guys. I’ll be sure to tell all my friends not to go.” She now regularly checks PublicSquare before shopping for products, the publication pointed out.
“I just feel like I have to do something. Because businesses now control our votes, you know?” Koenig said. “I feel like, you know what, if they control our votes, I’ll do whatever I can do to only support the ones that vote the way I want. It’s about disgust, honestly. I’m disgusted by the way our votes can be bought by business[es].”
She added: “I sleep well at night knowing I’m not accidentally donating to the bad guys.”
Launched in 2022, PublicSquare allows users to search for business by ZIP code, making it easy for Trump supporters – and now the MAGA leader's opponents – to identify political affiliations behind local and national companies.
“My god I just found out my dog’s vet is on there,” one user wrote in response.
“THANK YOU FOR THIS LIST,” according to another user's post.