Not that Trump has never before made statements derided as offensive—it’s just that in a presidential campaign, they’re taken far more seriously. In 1991, the former president of Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino noted that Trump remarked, “laziness is a trait in blacks,” and also told him, “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.” The same year, Trump told Esquire, “You know, it doesn’t really matter what [the media] write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.”…

Even as some companies cut ties with Trump, there’s an acknowledgement of his stature as a political figure whose statements must be taken at face value.

“Macy’s is a company that stands for diversity and inclusion,” the department store said. “We are disappointed and distressed by recent remarks about immigrants from Mexico,” Macy’s added, decrying Trump’s depiction of Mexicans, Mexican Americans and Latinos, “who have made so many valuable contributions to the success of our nation.”