'We ain't buying it': How a purchase boycott movement spread over the years against Trump-backing companies

A coalition of groups has been targeting the companies and individuals seen as backing US President Donald Trump. The We Ain’t Buying It movement, alongside the No Kings coalition and allied groups, has intensified consumer boycotts during the 2026 midterm season against firms accused of supporting the administration’s policies.

What is the movement about?

We Ain’t Buying It gained prominence over Thanksgiving 2025, urging Americans to withhold purchases from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday - 27 November to 1 December - from retailers accused of enabling the Trump administration. It focused on Target over diversity recruitment rollbacks, Home Depot over alleged cooperation with ICE, and Amazon over funding and contracts linked to the government.

In May 2026, the ‘May Day Strong’ action called for boycotts of work, school and shopping against what organisers called a ‘billionaire takeover’ of government. Indivisible, a No Kings organiser, successfully pressed Spotify in 2025 to stop running ICE recruitment ads after a subscription-cancellation campaign. On 17 October this year, No Kings events which are mainly focused on midterms early voting, also encouraged no-shopping actions.

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Who is organising the boycotts?

The No Kings coalition is led by the Indivisible group. We Ain’t Buying It involves more than 80 organisations, including the No Kings Alliance, 50501 Movement, Indivisible, Black Voters Matter Fund, Until Freedom and the Working Families Party. LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund and a coalition spokesperson, has described economic non-cooperation as a powerful non-violent protest tool.

How is it implemented?

Tactics of the organisers range from full spending blackouts to pickets and digital pressure. During the 2025 holiday window, participants had urged the boycott of some big box retailers and instead shop locally or at minority-owned businesses. Organisers planned pickets at Amazon-owned Whole Foods flagship stores. Some claimed that the pressure helped reverse Disney’s decision to pull the show of comedian Jimmy Kimmel from its networks. Conservative outlets meanwhile countered that the 2025 holiday weekend set shopping records, arguing the boycott failed.

Also read: ‘No Kings’ protests across the US rally against Trump with marquee event in Minnesota

Which companies have been affected?

Target, which faced the boycott, reaffirmed diversity commitments in March 2026. Home Depot faced action over alleged ICE collusion. Amazon and Tesla were targeted. The GEO Group remains a central focus this year, over ICE detention centre contracts. Social media chatter has also named Walmart, Ford, McDonald’s, Jack Daniel’s, Starbucks, Palantir and Toyota as potential boycott targets. Meanwhile, when Walmart heiress Christy Walton funded a pro-No Kings ad in 2025, Trump ally Roger Stone called for a Walmart boycott.