Target CEO Brian Cornell is leaving his post next year as the retail behemoth battles flagging sales and the aftermath of its costly decision to go all-in on “woke.” As RedState reported, the company pushed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hard, and also alienated many of its customers with in-your-face LGBTQ displays for Pride Month, including promoting “tuck-friendly” swimsuits prominently in the aisles of the family-centric stores.

RedState reported on the situation back in 2023, around the same time as Bud Light wrecked itself with its Dylan Mulvaney campaign, one of the costliest marketing fails in history. 

...Target faced consumer backlash after promoting LBGTQ clothing including “tucking” swimwear for concealing male anatomy (not to be left out, there are “light binding” items as well) in the children’s section, sexually-themed books for kids, and a clothing line designed by UK-based Satanist designer Abprallen. Lovely.

READ MORE: Target CEO Tries to Hold Bud Light's Beer as He Doubles Down on Controversial Campaign

Regular Americans Fight Back: Target Stock Price Plummets, Anheuser-Busch 'Still in Shock'

It would appear that Target never fully recovered:

If you want another reason to hate the media, take a look at how CNN framed the resignation (emphasis mine):

Target CEO Brian Cornell is stepping down after 11 years at the retailer, as the company faces slumping sales and backlash to its retreat on DEI.

Cornell’s departure was widely expected. Some industry analysts believed Target should bring in an outside voice to lead the company, but it opted for an internal candidate: Cornell will be replaced on February 1, 2026, by Michael Fiddelke, Target’s current chief operating officer. Fiddelke started as an intern at Target and has been at the company for 20 years.

“The backlash to its retreat on DEI” is the problem—not the fact that they offended a huge portion of their customer base. Laughable stuff from a laughable outlet.

To be fair, Target’s numbers haven’t necessarily been disastrous, and there are other economic factors at play, but they haven’t been great either:

In its latest fiscal quarter, the company reported $25.2 billion in sales, down just under 1% from a year ago.

The company blamed the dip on shoppers pulling back on merchandise, though that was partly balanced out by stronger non-merchandise sales, like services.

Sales at stores open at least a year fell nearly 2%, with in-store sales dropping more than 3%. Online sales, however, grew a little over 4%. Overall, profit for the quarter came in at $1.3 billion, which was down about 19% from last year.

From Bud Light to Jaguar to Target, the message is clear: the majority of consumers don’t like woke marketing shoved at them when they’re just trying to pick up some dishwashing soap (which is probably locked in a case anyway).

You too can help us fight the “woke mind virus.”

 Although we’re winning at the moment, the fight is far from over. Help continue the Trump momentum and erase the failures of the last four years of Biden malaise.

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