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The CEO of the hardware company that injected itself into the national debate over immigration with an ambiguous yet polarizing Super Bowl commercial declared that she supports President Trump but didn’t intend to foster division with the ad.
Maggie Hardy Magerko, owner and CEO of 84 Lumber, told People magazine that she backs Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico but didn’t intend to take a political stand with the emotional advertisement.
She acknowledged that the commercial’s message’s were “in the eyes of the beholder,” reflecting the broad range of reactions to the ad, including praise and criticism from immigration proponents and wall supporters alike.
“We need to keep America safe,” Magerko told People. “America needs to be safe so you and I can have the liberty to talk… The wall, I think it represents, to me, security. I like security.”
84 Lumber ad on immigration spurs debate after Super Bowl
She added: “This came from the heart and I didn’t do it for personal gain. It’s not about me or my beliefs or the wall, it’s about individuals… treating people with dignity and respect.”
Debate over the ad stemmed in part from differences in the 90-second televised version and the nearly 6-minute uncut version posted online.
After Super Bowl watchers crashed the company’s website and erupted in conversation over the ad, the company rushed to clarify its intent, even as the swirling debate appeared to accomplish the elusive goal of generating social media buzz.
Magerko said Sunday in a statement that she backed Trump’s proposed “big, beautiful door in the wall so that people can come into this country legally.”
The televised version of the ad shows a mother and her daughter making an arduous journey, navigating treacherous terrain together, in a moving depiction of immigration's harsh realities.
At the end it directed millions of viewers to 84 Lumber's website for the full version, which tells a much different story. The uncut film ends with the family encountering an imposing wall at the border to the U.S.
Stymied, the mother breaks down crying. She hugs her young daughter before spotting an opening in the wall, a huge door. The mother and daughter push it open and run through.
The commercial then cuts to a man driving down the highway with tools and lumber in the back of his truck, having apparently just built the door.
"The will to succeed is always welcome here," the uncut film declares in a message not included in the televised version. 84 Lumber said Fox “banned” the full version from airing.
The ad’s release comes as 84 Lumber plans to open 20 new stores and hire “hundreds” of employees in 2017.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.
Maggie Hardy Magerko, owner and CEO of 84 Lumber, told People magazine that she backs Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico but didn’t intend to take a political stand with the emotional advertisement.
She acknowledged that the commercial’s message’s were “in the eyes of the beholder,” reflecting the broad range of reactions to the ad, including praise and criticism from immigration proponents and wall supporters alike.
“We need to keep America safe,” Magerko told People. “America needs to be safe so you and I can have the liberty to talk… The wall, I think it represents, to me, security. I like security.”
84 Lumber ad on immigration spurs debate after Super Bowl
She added: “This came from the heart and I didn’t do it for personal gain. It’s not about me or my beliefs or the wall, it’s about individuals… treating people with dignity and respect.”
Debate over the ad stemmed in part from differences in the 90-second televised version and the nearly 6-minute uncut version posted online.
After Super Bowl watchers crashed the company’s website and erupted in conversation over the ad, the company rushed to clarify its intent, even as the swirling debate appeared to accomplish the elusive goal of generating social media buzz.
Magerko said Sunday in a statement that she backed Trump’s proposed “big, beautiful door in the wall so that people can come into this country legally.”
The televised version of the ad shows a mother and her daughter making an arduous journey, navigating treacherous terrain together, in a moving depiction of immigration's harsh realities.
At the end it directed millions of viewers to 84 Lumber's website for the full version, which tells a much different story. The uncut film ends with the family encountering an imposing wall at the border to the U.S.
Stymied, the mother breaks down crying. She hugs her young daughter before spotting an opening in the wall, a huge door. The mother and daughter push it open and run through.
The commercial then cuts to a man driving down the highway with tools and lumber in the back of his truck, having apparently just built the door.
"The will to succeed is always welcome here," the uncut film declares in a message not included in the televised version. 84 Lumber said Fox “banned” the full version from airing.
The ad’s release comes as 84 Lumber plans to open 20 new stores and hire “hundreds” of employees in 2017.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.
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