REI reverses political endorsement amid fury

Name: REI rescinds endorsement of Interior Secretary
Uploaded: 2025-04-10T18:19:54-07:00
Description: After outrage and outcry from outdoor enthusiasts, REI is promising to get back to its roots. The Seattle-based retailer is now renouncing a Trump appointee who they endorsed just weeks ago.

REI rescinds endorsement of Interior Secretary

After outrage and outcry from outdoor enthusiasts, REI is promising to get back to its roots. The Seattle-based retailer is now renouncing a Trump appointee who they endorsed just weeks ago.

SEATTLE - Outdoor retailer REI is reversing its support for Doug Burgum, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Interior, following backlash from customers and the broader outdoor recreation community.

In a video released this week, newly appointed CEO Mary Beth Laughton addressed the controversy directly, saying REI regrets signing an industry letter that endorsed Burgum back in January.

"Many of you shared your disappointment and your frustration with that decision and I hear you," said Laughton. "Let me be clear: signing that letter was a mistake."

The letter — co-signed by multiple outdoor industry organizations — praised Burgum for his appreciation of public lands and cited his admiration for conservationist President Theodore Roosevelt. However, REI’s support drew sharp criticism from members and environmental advocates, particularly as federal policies impacting public lands began to change. Since the endorsement, the U.S. Forest Service has faced staffing shortages that led to the closure of popular trails, including Denny Creek near Snoqualmie Pass. This week, a new Department of Agriculture memo opened national forest lands to timber harvesting, escalating concerns from conservation groups.

"Our public lands are under attack," Laughton said in the video. "From the gutting of national park staff to expanded threats of drilling or even selling off our public lands."

REI is now joining the "Brands for Public Lands" coalition, a group of more than 60 companies advocating for the protection of federally managed natural spaces. The coalition recently submitted two letters to federal officials in Washington, D.C., urging transparency from the Department of the Interior and asking Congress to block any potential large-scale sale of public lands.

REI flagship in Seattle

Laughton said the initial endorsement was made to ensure the company had "a seat at the table" in national conservation discussions. But she emphasized that REI is now focused on aligning more closely with its values and the expectations of its members.

Among the most vocal critics of the endorsement was REI union representative Sean Embly, who said employees were blindsided by the company’s decision to support a nominee with strong ties to the fossil fuel industry.

REI union representative Sean Embly

"It’s nice to see they’re rescinding the endorsement now but the damage has been done," said Embly. "Unfortunately just rescinding it is not going to undo that damage."

Despite what Embly described as REI’s increasingly corporate direction over the past decade, he said the endorsement felt especially out of step with the co-op’s founding values.

"Well I think we’re seeing a massive shift in our country and, unfortunately, REI has played apart in that shift," said Embly. "That’s one of the reasons workers started to organize. They really felt like the co-op was becoming more and more corporate."

The backlash extended far beyond the company’s workforce. Online, a viral Instagram video from drag queen and environmental activist ‘Pattie Gonia’ brought national attention to REI’s endorsement. The call to action, which has since been shared by Instagram users tens of thousands of times, is calling for an outright boycott of the brand.

The Source: Information for this article comes from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.