Donald Trump gets the axe from Macy's but enjoys high polling numbers

Retail giant Macy's has become the latest to end its business partnership with reality TV star and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The company issued a statement on 1 July denouncing the candidate's comments against Mexican immigrants after a petition of more than 728,000 people called on Macy's to drop Trump's clothing line.

"Macy's is a company that stands for diversity and inclusion," the company said in a statement. "We have no tolerance for discrimination in any form. We welcome all customers, and respect for the dignity of all people is a cornerstone of our culture. We are disappointed and distressed by recent remarks about immigrants from Mexico.

"We do not believe the disparaging characterizations portray an accurate picture of the many Mexicans, Mexican Americans and Latinos who have made so many valuable contributions to the success of our nation. In light of statements made by Donald Trump, which are inconsistent with Macy's values, we have decided to discontinue our business relationship with Mr. Trump and will phase-out the Trump menswear collection, which has been sold at Macy's since 2004."

Trump on the other hand claimed it was his idea to break away from the retail company in his own statement posted on Instagram. "I have decided to terminate my relationship with Macy's because of the pressure being put on them by outside sources," Trump wrote. "While selling Trump ties and shirts of Macy's is a small business in terms of dollar volume, my principles are far more important and therefore much more valuable."

The controversial real estate mogul has since taken to Twitter to call for boycotts to Macy's. "Those who believe in tight border security, stopping illegal immigration & SMART trade deals w/other countries should boycott @Macys," he tweeted.

The retail company's announcement comes on the heels of several other companies ending their business relationships with Trump. On 30 June, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim announced he would not go ahead with a TV project with the 69-year-old due to his anti-immigrant comments. NBC and Spanish-language network Univision announced they would not be airing the Miss USA pageant on 12 July.

Several hosts of both the English and Spanish-language shows of the pageant have also dropped out. On 1 July, reps for rapper Flo Rida confirmed that he would no longer be performing at the Miss USA pageant in Baton Rouge.

Business is hurting but polls are soaring...

While several of Trump's business ventures have suffered in the aftermath of his racist comments, his election poll numbers have been steadily rising. In the latest CNN/ORC poll, Trump surpassed nearly all other Republican candidates except Jeb Bush, with 12%. This marks a jump from 3% in May.

It remains to be seen whether his poll numbers will continue to rise or are just a direct result of all of the publicity he has received in light of recent events.