Politics

Miami Dolphins Owner Fights Back Against Being Targeted By Anti-Trump Boycott

(Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)

David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross fought back Wednesday against critics of his plan to host a fundraising event for President Donald Trump.

Ross wants to host the fundraiser Friday at his Long Island mansion and Trump is expected to attend, where he he plans to pose with supporters for a $100,000 donation or speak privately with them for a$250,000 gift, according to the Washington Post.

“I have always been an active participant in the democratic process,” Ross said in a statement Wednesday reported by Bloomberg. “I have known Donald Trump for 40 years, and while we agree on some issues, we strongly disagree on many others and I have never been bashful about expressing my opinions.” (RELATED: SoulCycle Owner Faces Backlash For Throwing Campaign Celebration For Trump)

The news provoked some anti-Trump personalities into action, promising to boycott Equinox and SoulCycle, two fitness centers that Ross invests in. Comedian Billy Eichner and model Chrissy Teigen were just two of the celebrities to support the boycott.

Eichner tweeted that to support Trump is “enabling racism and mass murder.”

Teigen posted on Twitter: “Everyone who cancels their equinox and soul cycle memberships, meet me at the library. Bring weights.”

MIAMI, FL - FEBRUARY 20: Model Chrissy Teigen attends Sports Illustrated Swimsuit South Beach Soiree at The Gale Hotel on February 20, 2014 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

Model Chrissy Teigen attends Sports Illustrated Swimsuit South Beach Soiree at The Gale Hotel on February 20, 2014 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

SoulCycle Chief Executive Officer Melanie Whelan attempted to avert a boycott with a tweet that assured customers that the Ross and the company “believe in diversity, inclusion and equality.”

Former CBS anchor Dan Rather also inserted himself into the controversy, pointing out that “People can’t vote out the president at the ballot box until next November” and asking, “Will they vote with their pocketbooks sooner?” (RELATED: Dan Rather Urges Journalists To ‘Not Distort’ The Truth After Telling Them Not To Use Trump Quotes In Headlines)