Airbnb has been one of the most aggressive corporate critics of the current administration's policies. Tuesday, ahead of President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, it's making another very public political statement.
The home-sharing start-up will be running a six-figure ad on some cable networks that plays off Trump's alleged "s---hole" comments — and promotes Airbnb's business in Haiti, El Salvador and Africa.
The 30-second ad starts with text that reads, "We heard there's been some expletive-filled interest in these beautiful destinations," then goes on to showcase the people and landscapes of the three places. It ends with the text, "Let's open doors, not build walls" and "#weaccept."
The ad refers to reports that Trump, in a White House meeting Jan. 11 with senators and House members on immigration, asked, "Why are we having all these people from s---hole countries coming here?" apparently in reference to those areas.
Airbnb has 116,000 listings in the three regions, and the company says that last year, hosts in those regions earned a total of $170 million by sharing homes with travelers.
In the wake of the president's alleged comments, the company said it's doubling down its commitment to the regions by establishing formal relationships with the governments of Haiti and El Salvador to identify ways to improve tourism.
The commercial running Tuesday — on networks including MSNBC, CNN, Fox, Univision and Telemundo — follows other public moves by the company. Last year it opposed the president's travel ban in a Super Bowl commercial and pledged to keep employing so-called dreamers after their work permits expire.