HP Inc. won’t sponsor GOP convention amid Trump criticism

HP Inc., which spun off from Hewlett Packard last year, does not plan to help pay for the Republican National Convention, a reversal from years past, according to The New York Times. 

Advocates have pressured major technology companies to refrain from sponsoring the July convention over presumptive GOP presidental nominee Donald Trump’s rhetoric and proposed policies. The advocacy group Color of Change, which has talked with HP Inc., said the company does not plan to donate to either party convention. 

{mosads}A number of major technology companies have said they will have a visible presence at the convention, but others like Microsoft announced they would not be making cash donations to help sponsor it. Microsoft is still donating technology equipment. 

It’s clear Trump and the pressure campaign have been factors for companies working with the convention. Many remain mum on whether their donations will equal those made during the last election. Before the HP announcement, only Microsoft and Coca-Cola had agreed to meet and negotiate with advocates. 

HP Inc. reportedly told advocates about its decision last week. 

Before the company’s split into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hewlett-Packard in 2012 wrote a check for $150,000 and donated more than $400,000 in computers and equipment for the convention, where Mitt Romney was nominated. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The company’s former CEO and current chairman of the board, Meg Whitman, has been a Trump critic. After Chris Christie endorsed Trump earlier this year, Whitman called it an “astonishing display of political opportunism.” She blasted Trump as dishonest and unfit to be president. 

Whitman is the current chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise.