SoulCycle/Equinox Losing Members Because Of Owner Stephen Ross' Support Of Donald Trump
Do politics and fitness mix?
Getty PureBarre is better anyway. But that said, the owner of SoulCycle and Equinox is in a lot of hot water — and facing an unprecedented amount of cancellations of memberships — because he chose to hold a Trump fundraiser. Who is Stephen Ross?
Let's look at what we know about this latest person to get disgraced by tying himself to Donald Trump.
1. He held a fundraiser to get Donald Trump re-elected.
According to Vox, Stephen Ross — a longtime Republican — is holding a fundraiser for Trump at his ritzy Hamptons mansion on Friday, August 9th with tickets ranging from $5,600 to $250,000 a plate. Ross insisted that he backs Trump because of the tax cuts he provides for the wealthy.
2. When Stephen Ross faced a backlash over the fundraiser, he tried to cop pleas.
Naturally, when all hell broke loose, Ross tried to back track on his support. "I have known Donald Trump for 40 years, and while we agree on some issues, we strongly disagree on many others and I have never been bashful about expressing my opinions," he told Buzzfeed.
3. It makes sense that he would want the tax breaks.
Stephen Ross, literally, has more than a billion reasons to want the tax breaks for the rich that Donald Trump has provided. In addition to investing in SoulCycle and Equinox gyms, Ross' Related Companies is behind the $15 billion Hudson Yards redevelopment project in New York City. He's also invested in a variety of other businesses, including the restaurant Momofuku, according to both Forbes and Eater. Ross is the owner of the NFL's Miami Dolphins. He has a net worth of $7.6 billion.
4. A full-fledged protest against Equinox & SoulCycle broke out in West Hollywood.
According to The Los Angeles Times, the large LGBTQ community in West Hollywood protested against Equinox and SoulCycle, which are convenietly located in the same shopping center, after it was announced that Stephen Ross would hold a Trump fundraiser. The outlet also reports that several thousand people have cancelled their memberships to both the gym and to the organization some call a "cult."
5. Donald Trump thinks all this makes Stephen Ross "hotter," because of course he does.
"I didn’t speak to him yet; I’ll see him in a little while. The controversy makes Steve Ross hotter. He’ll figure that out in about a week. But he’s very happy... a lot of people are going,” Trump told The Washington Post.
6. Equinox and SoulCycle have tried to distance themselves from Stephen Ross.
"We want to let you know that Equinox and SoulCycle have nothing to do with the event and do not support it. As is consistent with our policies, no company profits are used to fund politicians. We are committed to all our members and the communities we live in. We believe in tolerance and equality, and will always stay true to those values. Mr. Ross is a passive investor and is not involved in the management of either business," the companies said, according to ABC News.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.