WASHINGTON – A number of years in the past, Jeff was working for a California financial institution that requested him to look into getting the enterprise listed on a web site referred to as PublicSquare.
The financial institution’s leaders have been massive supporters of Donald Trump, and PublicSquare was a really perfect place to promote it: Its web site, which payments itself as “the anti-woke online marketplace,” is a hub of tens of hundreds of companies nationwide that need folks to know they align with MAGA views and oppose so-called “progressive priorities” like girls’s reproductive rights and variety initiatives. With a purpose to checklist your online business on the web site, you first have to substantiate that you’ll “respect the core values of PublicSquare” and agree to not “help causes which can be in direct battle with our core values.”
“For much too lengthy, American customers and enterprise homeowners who cherish household values and God-given liberty have been missed by mainstream companies,” the corporate’s web site states. “It’s time to embrace this group of consumers and retailers by offering platforms, merchandise, and companies that enrich the lifestyle they maintain pricey.”
The corporate additionally acknowledges its function of letting folks use their {dollars} as political and cultural leverage. “PublicSquare is on a mission to revive the tradition by way of the ability of commerce,” its web site says below a piece referred to as “Objective with each buy.” “This isn’t about boycotts, it’s about serving to you turn to one thing higher.”
As a shopper, PublicSquare’s web site is simple to make use of. You simply enter your ZIP code and it pulls up companies close to you that need to be publicly related to Trump and his values. The corporate, which launched in 2022, has direct connections to Trump, too: Its board of directors contains Donald Trump Jr., who also is an investor.
Kelly Loeffler, President Trump’s administrator of the Small Enterprise Administration, also was on the board till she was confirmed to her present submit in February.
Jeff, who requested utilizing a pseudonym for this story out of considerations of being focused by Trump supporters in his group, doesn’t know if that financial institution joined PublicSquare. He quickly left that job and went on to launch a communications agency.
Quick-forward to February 2025, when Trump is again within the White Home and destroying just about all the pieces he touches. He’s tanking the global economy. He’s hollowing out the federal government. It isn’t hyperbole to say he’s pushing American democracy to its breaking point.
Jeff, an everyday consumer of the social media platform Reddit, began noticing folks in his San Diego group posting messages determined for tactics to struggle again in opposition to Trump’s recklessness. Some referred to as for boycotting MAGA-friendly companies however didn’t know establish firms that help Trump’s views. So Jeff, who had extensively researched PublicSquare at his earlier financial institution job, tossed in a notice about it.
“MAGA has made it straightforward for all of us to keep away from their companies,” he wrote below his Reddit title, Hour-Abbreviations18. “A pair years in the past, they launched a web site – publicsq.com — to advertise MAGA companies. We are able to use that very same device to make knowledgeable buying choices.”
“If a enterprise is listed on the positioning, it’s not a fluke,” he wrote. “It’s on function.”
He acquired a number of responses to his submit, so out of curiosity, Jeff searched Reddit for situations of individuals outdoors of his local people who have been on the lookout for methods to keep away from pro-Trump companies. He minimize and pasted his spiel about PublicSquare into these threads, too.
His message took off, spreading to Reddit threads all around the nation by folks wanting to do one thing — something — to reject Trump. Paradoxically, folks started discovering solace within the very factor PublicSquare affords its supporters: an opportunity to align your spending along with your values. Besides on this case, individuals are utilizing PublicSquare to determine the place not to spend.
“Is there a listing for 2025 so we are able to cross round to the worthy peace loving people?” one Reddit consumer in Oregon requested in a February thread, “MAGA Companies in Oregon to BOYCOTT.” Jeff tossed in his description of PublicSquare, and his submit acquired “upvoted” 263 occasions, which means it acquired pushed to the highest of the thread for extra folks to see.
Jeff pasted his submit into another Reddit thread based mostly in Lengthy Seashore, California, titled, “MAGA Companies to Keep away from.” It was upvoted 65 occasions.
“My god I simply discovered my canine’s vet is on there,” one consumer wrote in response.
“THANK YOU FOR THIS LIST,” wrote one other consumer.
Jeff’s posts about PublicSquare, or offshoots of them, have popped up on Reddit in cities and cities in Illinois, Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Maine, North Carolina and in general Reddit forums. The concept of utilizing PublicSquare for boycotts has gained attention in native information tales. Final month, a TikTok consumer with 19,000 followers filmed himself describing PublicSquare and directing folks to its web site to seek out MAGA-friendly companies to chop off. His video has gotten greater than 348,000 “likes.”
“PublicSquare is principally the Green Book, however for conservatives,” this TikTok consumer, who goes by dapper.delinquent, says in his video. “The Inexperienced Guide was a ebook handed round Black communities that was a listing of shops and companies that have been protected for Black Individuals to make use of. PublicSquare is similar factor for conservatives.”
“It’s a web site that conservatives will register their enterprise on to point out they’re anti-woke, pro-conservative and particularly pro-life,” he says.
PublicSquare’s Fb web page
One other TikTok consumer posted a similar message final month, calling PublicSquare the “anti-woke enterprise finder” and saying he’s glad it exists so he is aware of the place to not store. “It simply signifies that they don’t care about our rights they usually stand with Trump,” this consumer says in his video. His submit acquired 32,000 “likes” and was shared 11,000 occasions.
Trump critics even have been speaking about PublicSquare on different platforms like Threads and on Facebook, the place a gaggle referred to as The 50501 Motion organizes folks round Trump protests, rallies and boycotts. The group, which has 164,000 members, flagged PublicSquare for its followers final month.
“Useful for deciding which small companies to keep away from!” reads a post inside the group.
Some folks have sought out PublicSquare’s personal Fb web page to allow them to know their web site has been an enormous assist to folks wanting to do one thing to protest Trump’s insurance policies.
“After a neighborhood article was printed, our group is utilizing PublicSquare to see which companies to keep away from,” one consumer wrote in a comment on a PublicSquare submit earlier this month. “It’s such as you’re serving to the trash take itself out.”
“Vulgar INSURRECTIONISTS, Fascists and people who despise something non-white, male and straight,” one other consumer posted this month on the corporate’s Fb web page. “You’re the exact same because the German Christians who worshipped Hitler.”
Phelan M. Ebenhack/Related Press
It’s not clear what monetary impression, if any, folks’s boycotts are having on the companies listed on PublicSquare, or on PublicSquare itself. The publicly traded firm, which is led by founder, CEO and president Michael Seifert, has seen its inventory worth plummet by more than 50% because the begin of the 12 months. Even earlier than Trump introduced his tariffs earlier this month, which have damage economies globally, PublicSquare was down by 12%.
The corporate seems to make its income by way of charges paid out by companies on its web site, together with “a commission per transaction.” Nonetheless, there’s no technique to immediately hyperlink the corporate’s funds to folks actively utilizing the positioning to seek out companies to cease supporting.
A PublicSquare spokesperson didn’t reply to requests for remark about folks utilizing their web site to seek out companies to not patronize or concerning the firm’s monetary woes.
“The power to make buying choices that align with our values is one factor we are able to do.”
Jeff doesn’t presume he’s the one anti-Trump one that knew about this web site earlier than this 12 months, however stated he’s been blown away by how many individuals advised him they’d by no means heard of it — and the way completely happy they’re to find out about it. Most individuals he’s engaged with stated they plan to make use of PublicSquare to ensure they don’t give cash to Trump-aligned companies, however a couple of stated they needed to make use of the positioning as supposed, to help such firms.
“The overwhelming majority of individuals stated, ‘I had no concept. I can’t consider this or that enterprise is on there. I’m by no means going there once more,’” Jeff stated. “I’d say 90% of responses are of that ilk.”
He emphasised his efforts to unfold the phrase about PublicSquare aren’t about punishing companies however about serving to folks make knowledgeable choices.
“Proper now, so many choices are being made that have an effect on our lives which can be outdoors of our management, and many individuals really feel helpless,” Jeff stated. “The power to make buying choices that align with our values is one factor we are able to do.”
That’s positively how Janet Koenig feels. The 62-year-old California resident not too long ago got here throughout one in every of Jeff’s posts on Reddit, so she went to PublicSquare’s web site and entered her ZIP code. To her dismay, one in every of her favourite espresso retailers got here up. She was horrified.
“I used to be like, you’ve acquired to be kidding me,” Koenig stated. “I simply assumed they have been one of many good guys. I’ll you should definitely inform all my associates to not go.”
Now she recurrently checks PublicSquare earlier than shopping for merchandise. She’s additionally been sharing a hyperlink to its web site with as many individuals as she will be able to, most of whom, like her, had no concept this firm existed and not less than a few of whom plan to make use of it to ensure they don’t inadvertently give cash to Trump-aligned companies. She stated she appears like her efforts might not be having a lot of an impression, however she feels a brand new sense of empowerment.
“I simply really feel like I’ve to do one thing. As a result of companies now management our votes, you recognize?” Koenig stated. “I really feel like, you recognize what, in the event that they management our votes, I’ll do no matter I can do to solely help those that vote the best way I would like. It’s about disgust, truthfully. I’m disgusted by the best way our votes could be purchased by enterprise.”
“I sleep effectively at evening understanding I’m not unintentionally donating to the unhealthy guys,” she stated.
