Trump's tweet to 'buy L.L.Bean' draws criticism

Donald Trump's attempt to publicly support L.L. Bean, which has become the target of a boycott over alleged donations to his campaign, may have backfired.

The Associated Press reports that the controversy began when a Federal Election Commission violation letter revealed that Linda Bean, a descendent of the company's founder, had exceeded individual contribution limits when she allegedly donated $60,000 to a fund supporting Trump.

A group called 'Grab Your Wallet' then suggested that people boycott the company over its affiliation with the president-elect, notes Business Insider.

On January 8, Shawn Gorman, executive chairman of L.L. Bean, issued a statement on Facebook expressing his disappointment about the boycott but also reiterated the lack of any one political agenda.

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He wrote, in part, "...the more than 50 family member-owners of the business hold views and embrace causes across the political spectrum....no individual alone speaks on behalf of the business or represents the values of the company that L.L. built."

On Thursday, Trump added his support by tweeting, "Thank you to Linda Bean of L.L.Bean for your great support and courage. People will support you even more now. Buy L.L.Bean."

However, his message has already encountered some backlash, with one person asking, "Is the presidency an ad agency now?"

A professor at Texas Christian University also tweeted that the "FTC should investigate" before following up with another message, stating, "I'm not entirely kidding about this. Trump received $$ from LL Bean & followed with a sales pitch. No disclosure of that in/near the tweet."