Timothy A. Clary / AFP - Getty Images file

"Two million people follow me on Twitter," said Donald Trump. "I can get any kind of petition going I want."

Donald Trump to YouGov about its survey that suggests he’s to blame for a 45 percent drop in Macy’s popularity among women: “It’s total bull@!$%#."
 
"The survey is a joke. The person who did this is a joke," the Donald told TODAY regarding YouGov’s online survey that saw a steep dropoff in the retailer's popularity after a SignOn.org petition asking Macy’s to “Dump Trump,” launched and began gaining over 670,000 digital signatures.

Trump spokesman Michael Cohen added, "These aren't controlled surveys."

YouGov holds daily surveys of 1,000 consumers on hundreds of brands, sometimes in exchange for prizes and compensation.

"YouGov is recognized as one of the most accurate and highly respected researcher companies in the U.S. and internationally. In our daily BrandIndex survey, we carefully select a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. consumers age 18+ and collect their opinions on 1,000 brands.  Hundreds of companies depend on our information every day and trust us to present the data truthfully, whether it is good news or bad news," said YouGov BrandIndex SVP and Global Managing Director Ted Marzilli.

Source: YouGov

Trump noted his continued television success and high demand for guest appearances. "You can't have a successful show without women," he said.

The online petition started on October 24th and declared that Donald Trump, known for being obsterperous, "doesn't reflect the Magic of Macy's." Macy's offers a line of Trump branded ties and fragrances in its store and featured Trump in a recent holiday television ad that at one point comedically played off Trump's skepticism over President Obama's birthplace. The petition urged the retailer to cut ties with Trump, rather than sell them.

The petition was started by Angelo Carusone, the director of online strategy for Media Matters, which is a DC based organization "covering and correcting conservative misinformation in the media." The online petition quickly racked up a several hundred thousand digital signatures within a week. Carusone's plan is to deliver it in-person to Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren.

In a statement, Macy's told TODAY:

"Macy’s marketing and merchandise offerings are not representative of any political position. Many of the individuals associated with products sold at Macy's – or at any retailer, for that matter – express personal opinions that are not related to the merchandise we sell or to the philosophies of our company. 

Trump said that he and Macy's have not discussed the petition.

"Two million people follow me on Twitter," said Trump. "I can get any kind of petition going I want."

Trump's reputation, and notoriety, is built on being outspoken. 

A recent report in The Daily News said Trump's children had cautioned him to tone down his remarks on Twitter, which have attacked President Obama and Cher. "It's a false story," said Trump. "Ivanka and Don never did that. They would know to never do that."

So, no plan to tone down the public utterances?

"I don't do it by plan," said Trump. "I do what's right. I don't have a plan."

Los Angeles based image consultant Farrah Parker told TODAY, "Trump already presents an authentic liability for the brand. The only question is how much is Macy's willing to risk on assuming that consumers simply don't pay attention."

Ashley McCown, president of Solomon McCown & Company, a Boston-based PR and crisis communications firm, said Macy's "knew what they were getting into," when they signed up with Trump.

"If they start to see a true impact on sales, they may make minor adjustments, like featuring him less prominently in ads."

Until then, she said, "they're standing by their man."

Snip snip snip. What's that sound? The sound of over 558,000 scissors at the ready.

If Macy's doesn't cut its ties to Donald Trump, over half-a-million signers of an online petition will be urged to cut up their Macy's store credit card, the creator of the petition, Angelo Carusone, told TODAY this morning.

Carusone, 30, said he started the petition on October 24th because he was a fan of the retailer and Trump's brand "doesn't reflect the magic of Macy's." He said Trump's brand was built on "consequence-free bullying," noting the birtherism controversy, and Trump's history of misogynistic comments.

After the petition started, things kicked up a notch when Trump tweeted calls for "revolution," following President Obama's re-election, and Macy's released a new ad featuring Trump. The new Macy's ad mixed in footage from "Miracle on 34th Street" with cameos from several of the faces behind Macy's celebrity brands. There's Justin Bieber, Martha Stewart, Taylor Swift, and then there's Donald Trump, skeptical that the old man in the stocking cap and suit is really Santa and tugging on his beard. Macy's sells a line of Trump-branded ties and fragrances. Stuart Elliot,  the New York Times' advertising columnist, remarked that the ad was a "clever twist" on Trump's notoriety for casting doubt on whether President Obama's birth certificate and college transcript were real.

But to Carusone, director of online strategy for the media watchdog group Media Matters, the ad struck him as a cynical "embracing" of Trump's brand.

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His petition urging the retailer to break up with Trump has been steadily gaining traction through social media channels and media pickup. In the past Carusone, working independently, spearheaded online efforts to get Glen Beck ousted from Fox News.

The ad also featured an appearance by Martha Stewart, who served time after being convicted for insider trading. But Carusone isn't going after her because that was "a one-time thing," he said. "Macy's isn't building a business on top of her insider trading."

The Donald appeared unfazed by the growing online uproar. Trump spokesman Michael Cohen told TODAY, "The Trump Organization values its long standing relationship with Macy's and looks forward to many more years of continued success." 

Macy's so far is not changing course. Reached for comment, Macy's senior vice-president of corporate communications told TODAY: 

"Macy’s marketing and merchandise offerings are not representative of any political position. Many of the individuals associated with products sold at Macy's – or at any retailer, for that matter – express personal opinions that are not related to the merchandise we sell or to the philosophies of our company. In our merchandise assortment, we strive to meet our customers' expectations for unique and interesting products across a broad array of styles, categories and brands. This allows our customers to choose what they prefer.  A longtime focus of Macy's holiday advertising has been to celebrate the season's spirit of generosity and goodwill through our ongoing "Believe" campaign, and that is the sole message of our holiday television commercials."

By Thanksgiving, Carusone said he planned on delivering the final petition to Macy's in-person.

Meanwhile he has already started building a sub-list of the petition signers who hold Macy's store credit cards, and if there's no action from the retailer, he will encourage them to start cutting up those cards. He got the idea after people started tweeting him pictures of themselves cutting up their cards.

It'll be just in time for Black Friday, one of the year's biggest shopping days.

Carusone said he emailed Macy's CEO, along with his executive personal assistant, repeatedly before beginning the campaign and throughout it and got "zero response."

"Next week is Macy's last chance," said Carusone.

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