MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell claims he was unaware of the neo-Nazi symbolism of the number $14.88 before advertising that as the price for one of his company's items.
The Donald Trump ally listed the “Classic Collection” on his company's website as a "limited time" discount from its regular $49.98 price, but social media users noted that 1488 is an allusion to Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler, reported the Forward.
Fourteen refers to the number of words in the white nationalist slogan, according to the Anti-Defamation League, while eight refers to H, the eighth letter of the alphabet, and the double numeral alludes to "Heil Hitler."
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“Together, the numbers form a general endorsement of white supremacy and its beliefs,” reads the “1488” entry in the Anti-Defamation League’s Hate Symbols Database. “As such, they are ubiquitous within the white supremacist movement.”
The pricing, which remained unchanged on MyPillow's website through Wednesday evening, attracted notice and approval from social media accounts that appear to belong to white supremacists.
“Yes, I think we have a deal,” wrote one user who calls themselves as “ethnostatesman” and posted a picture of Pepe the Frog, another common white supremacist symbol.
Lindell told the conservative online talk show FlashPoint he was unaware of the Nazi symbolism and claimed the number was a common discounting tactic used by Walmart.
“When they have a sale on a sale, right? That's 88,” Lindell. “I get a call from all the media around the country and the world, all the way to the Daily Mail, saying, what are you, a Nazi? I’m going, ‘Who comes up with this stuff?’”
Lindell argued that the criticism was related to his strong support for Trump and his election fraud lies, and he refuses to change the pricing after the hateful association was pointed out.
“It’s another attack on MyPillow because their CEO wants to go to paper ballots and counting, it’s as simple as that,” Lindell said. “Some media called me, ‘Are you going to apologize and take it down?’ I said, ‘No, I’m going to double down.’”
