The chief executive of a Michigan bank has lost her job after facing backlash for a social media photo of her family in sweatshirts that read “Lake America,” referencing Donald Trump’s relabeling of Lake Ontario.

Jane Smith from Family First Credit Union recently went viral after sharing the photo of her and three relatives wearing navy blue crewnecks with the words “Lake America” scrawled in white. The picture was snapped as her family left on September 11 for a 10-day trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, but Smith says the sweatshirts were edited onto their bodies using AI.

“We weren’t trying to make a political statement,” Smith told Michigan outlet WJRT. “However, we were kind of poking fun at the fact that one of the Great Lakes’ names were getting changed.”

Family First Credit Union announced Wednesday that Smith was no longer with the company and that Jason Acosta, the chief operations officer, would serve as interim CEO.

  • JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social
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    2 days ago

    “I understand if I was someone in Halifax and I thought a poor group of people walked in wearing those sweatshirts, it is highly offensive and I would understand why they would be so angry,” Smith reflected.

    Very telling comment.

    The reality is that the wealthier and more powerful you are, the more you can get away with, but she simply wasn’t at the level to pull this off. She understands the whole principle based on her comments, but she simply miscalculated her value. Badly.

    • atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      She is from Michigan, I read it as “unfortunate group, to be pitied” not “unwealthy group”. I think she was trying to paint herself as a form of victim of the situation. But I could be wrong.

      • 🌞 Alexander Daychilde 🌞@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        She definitely was:

        Her family decided to return from their trip early because Smith said she was getting death threats.

        Bullshit.

        Or: Why were Canadians of all people threatening you? What the fuck did you do to spark that?