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Donald Trump and Elon Musk appear in Ben & Jerry's censorship lawsuit against Unilever, its parent company. Here's why.
- Ben & Jerry's filed a complaint against its parent company, Unilever, in 2024.
- At the time, Ben & Jerry's accused Unilever of silencing its views on the war in Gaza.
- Ben & Jerry's now says Unilever censored a statement about Trump.
President Donald Trump is mentioned alongside billionaires Elon Musk and Nelson Peltz in Ben & Jerry's lawsuit against its parent company, Unilever.
Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc. first took legal action against Unilever and its subsidiary, Conopco, filing a complaint in the US Southern District of New York in November.
In the initial complaint, Ben & Jerry's said Unilever blocked it from making statements supporting Palestinians, which the company said breached a settlement agreement and prevented it from pursuing its social mission.
"Specifically, Unilever has repeatedly failed to recognize and respect the Independent Board's primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry's Social Mission and Brand Integrity, including threatening Ben & Jerry's personnel should the company speak regarding issues which Unilever prefers to censor," the complaint said.
Ben & Jerry's said Unilever breached the settlement agreement "by threatening to dismantle the Independent Board, sue Board members, and intimidate Ben & Jerry's personnel."
The Vermont-based ice cream company has made political, social justice, and environmental activism part of its public identity. Most recently, Ben & Jerry's official TikTok account promoted the People's March in Washington, DC.
On Friday, Ben & Jerry's amended the complaint to include references to Trump, Musk, and Peltz.
Ben & Jerry's says Unilever censored a statement it made about Trump
In the amended complaint, Ben & Jerry's said it intended to publish a post on Inauguration Day "that identified several social issues Ben & Jerry's believed would be challenged during the Trump administration, including minimum wage, universal healthcare, abortion, and climate change."
However, Ben & Jerry's said Peter ter Kulve β the business group president of Unilever's ice cream division β prevented the post from going live.
"Despite weeks of working on the statement, including feedback from Unilever's Global Head of Litigation, on January 18, 2024, Peter ter Kulve unilaterally barred Ben & Jerry's from issuing the post because it specifically mentioned 'Donald Trump,'" the company said in the complaint.
Ben & Jerry's said the decision "ignored" the company's "consistent history of challenging the Trump administration."
Unilever's decision 'coincides' with Peltz's support for Trump, the complaint says
The complaint then mentions Musk and Peltz.
Musk has aligned himself with the Trump administration and leads the Department of Government Efficiency. Peltz is a wealthy investor and cofounder of Trian Fund Management who joined Unilever's board as a non-executive director in 2022.
In its complaint, Ben & Jerry's said that Unilever's decision to block its post about Trump was related to Peltz's position on the board.
"Unilever's springing objection to mentioning 'Trump' coincides with its prominent board member, Nelson Peltz, publicly supporting Mr. Trump," Ben & Jerry's said. "Unsurprisingly, within twenty-four hours of Mr. ter Kulve blocking the Inauguration Post based off a hunch rather than evidence, he hosted an Ice Cream Townhall, where he publicly touted that Mr. Peltz had been the one to introduce Elon Musk to Donald Trump."
Ben & Jerry's said Unilever had shown a "pattern and practice" of "usurping" its board's authority while hindering the company's social mission and brand integrity.
"According to Mr. ter Kulve, despite four decades of progressive social activism β and years of challenging the Trump administration's policies specifically β criticizing Trump was now too taboo for the brand synonymous with 'Peace, Love, and Ice Cream,'" the company's complaint said.
Ben & Jerry's attorney told Business Insider in a statement that the company is trying to protect its values.
"The heart of this dispute is an American institution protecting the precise values that have made it so beloved over the past four decades: social justice, equality, and free speech," the statement said. "It is a shame that Unilever today has such a difficult time understanding these principles and the unique DNA of our company."
Representatives for Unilever, Trump, Musk, and Peltz did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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MAGA Reacts to Migrants Returning to Colombia After Trump Ordered Tariffs
Inside Davos: Photos from the World Economic Forum, where world leaders and execs go to network and party
- The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, took place this week.
- The event saw world leaders, executives, and celebrities come together for a week of networking and parties.
- Business Insider has put together some photos from the event.
With the curtain drawn on yet another World Economic Forum in Davos, the picturesque Swiss town will once again slink back out of the limelight.
But this year's event β which coincided with Donald Trump's return to the White House β will likely linger in the memory.
2025's forum saw a host of world leaders, executives, and celebrities come together in the Alpine town to discuss some of the hottest global topics, including AI, the workplace, DOGE, and social media.
It also saw protests, parties, and a virtual address from Trump himself.
Business Insider's editor in chief Jamie Heller was on the ground alongside BI's international editor Spriha Srivastava, deputy editor Dan DeFrancesco, and senior correspondent Hugh Langley.
Here's a look at the week through their eyes.
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Trump says US will impose '25% tariffs' on Colombia after it rejected deportation flights
- President Trump said the US would issue tariffs on Colombia after it rejected deportation flights.
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro halted flights with deported migrants from landing in his country.
- Trump said on Truth Social that the 25% tariffs would increase to 50% in a week.
President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States will impose 25% tariffs on Colombia after its president turned away two flights carrying deported migrants.
"A migrant is not a criminal and must be treated with the dignity that a human being deserves," Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Sunday. "That is why I returned the US military planes that were carrying Colombian migrants."
Trump responded on Truth Social, announcing immediate tariffs and vowing they'd increase if Petro didn't comply.
"I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures: Emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States," he said. "In one week, the 25% tariffs will be raised to 50%."
The United States is Colombia's largest trading partner. Some of the leading Colombian exports to the United States include coffee, bananas, flowers, and crude oil.
Trump also imposed a travel ban on Colombian government officials and visa sanctions on individuals tied to the country's government.
"These measures are just the beginning," the president said. "We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!"
Petro said in a statement on X he would receive Colombians "on civilian planes, without treating them like criminals."
Trump's posture on the repatriation of migrants has rankled some governments in Latin America. NBC News reported that Mexico on Thursday also refused to allow a US military flight carrying migrants to land in the country.
Trump has long made immigration a central issue. While President Joe Biden was in office, Trump railed against the number of migrants who crossed the US southern border, making the issue a centerpiece of his 2024 campaign.
Trump pledged during the campaign to enact the biggest mass deportation plan in US history once he assumed office for his second term.
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Trump hits Colombia with tariffs, sanctions after it refuses deportation flights
President Trump on Sunday said he was imposing large tariffs and significant sanctions on Colombia after its government refused to accept two military cargo flights carrying deported Colombians.
Why it matters: The Latin American country has long been a crucial U.S. ally, even under the tenure of leftist President Gustavo Petro.
- The U.S. is Colombia's largest trade and investment partner, with over $39 billion in goods and services traded between both countries in 2022, according to the U.S. State Department.
Catch up quick: Petro ordered Colombian officials to turn away military planes carrying deportees this weekend. He said in a post on X that the U.S. cannot treat Colombian migrants like criminals and should return them on civilian flights.
- "I can't force migrants to stay in a country where they're not wanted, but that country should return them with dignity and respect toward them and also our country," Petro wrote.
Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that he was imposing emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the U.S. from Colombia, a travel ban on Colombian government officials and other major financial sanctions in response to the refusal to accept the flights.
The latest: Petro said on X Colombia's foreign trade minister had been ordered to raise tariffs on imports from the U.S. to 25%.
- "The ministry should help direct our exports to the rest of the world, other than the U.S. Our exports must expand," he added.
State of play: In one week, Trump wrote, the tariffs will rise to 50%.
- Beyond the travel ban and tariffs, the president said he directed his administration to revoke visas for Colombian government officials and place visa sanctions on all party and family members, as well as supporters, of the Colombian government.
- Additionally, he ordered enhanced inspections of Colombian nationals and cargo "on national security grounds."
What they're saying: "These measures are just theΒ beginning," Trump wrote.Β "We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals theyΒ forcedΒ into the United States!"
Zoom out: Trump throughout his campaign vowed to expel millions of undocumented people from the U.S. β and during his first week in office, his immigration crackdown began with a series of sweeping executive orders.
- Tom Homan, Trump's "border czar," told ABC News that the U.S. government will conduct deportation flights every day. The administration issued a new rule Tuesday that dramatically expanded expedited removal for immigrants who cannot prove they have continually lived in the U.S. for the past two years.
- The Pentagon announced Wednesday that it would send an additional 1,500 troops to the southern border as Trump declared a national emergency in the region, and the administration is working to secure more aircraft to speed up deportations.
- Two Air Force C-17 cargo planes carrying migrants removed from the U.S. landed Friday morning in Guatemala, the Associated Press reported. Another two deportation flights touched down on the same day in Honduras.
- Another flight to Brazil landed on Saturday, prompting outrage from the nation's government when those on the flight arrived in handcuffs which the foreign ministry called a "flagrant disregard" for the rights of the 88 passengers.
What we're watching: Trump's retaliatory tariffs could further increase already surging coffee prices, meaning a pricier cup of joe for American consumers, Axios' Ben Berkowitz reports.
- According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Colombia is also a leading supplier of flowers to the U.S. The country provided about 37% of U.S. cut flower and nursery stock value from 2018 to 2022.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.
Trump's Colombia tariffs will raise the price of a cup of coffee
President Trump's retaliatory 25% tariffs on Colombia may exacerbate an ongoing surge in coffee prices, one likely to leave Americans paying even more for their morning cup.
Why it matters: Beans from Colombia make up 20% of U.S. coffee imports, and the only source larger, Brazil, is struggling with weak crops after a series of weather disasters.
Catch up quick: On Sunday Trump said he would impose an emergency 25% tariff on all goods imported from Colombia β rising to 50% in one week β after the country refused to accept two deportation flights from the U.S.
Zoom out: Coffee prices were already surging before the tariff.
- Coffee futures are up 45% in the last six months.
- Bloomberg reported last week that wholesale prices recently eclipsed all-time highs set in the late 1970s, and that it was only a matter of days to a few weeks until retail prices followed suit.
- As it stands, consumer coffee prices are already at multi-decade highs, per Consumer Price Index data.
The intrigue: Bird flu is causing record price shocks and shortages in eggs as well.
- American breakfasts suddenly risk getting a lot more expensive, even as Trump begins a new term with a promise to lower grocery prices.