Publix says heiress’s Trump donations don’t reflect its values. Boycotts suggested anyway

The Washington rally that preceded the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol — and led to the second impeachment for President Donald Trump, now a Florida resident — was arranged and funded by a small group.

That group included a top Trump campaign fundraiser who has family ties to the state’s most popular supermarket chain, according to a Wall Street Journal report released Saturday, which said Julie Jenkins Fancelli, an heiress to the Publix supermarket chain, committed about $300,000 through a top fundraising official for Trump’s 2020 campaign. And that sum reportedly paid the bulk of the $500,000 rally at the Ellipse in Washington where Trump spoke.

The Ellipse rally is where President Trump told his supporters “fight like hell” and to march to the U.S. Capitol where there was about to be a confirmation of President Joe Biden’s election victory. This is credited as the seed that incited a mob to storm the Capitol.

Trump, who was banned on social media sites for his posts related to the insurrection, was impeached by the Democrat-led House of Representatives and charged with incitement of insurrection. Five people died in that riot, many others were injured, and more than 135 people have been arrested for taking part.

Fancelli’s donation was facilitated by far-right radio show host Alex Jones, the Wall Street Journal reported, and it has embroiled Publix in its latest controversy over its longstanding association with conservative groups and its political donations.

According to Federal Election Commission records, Fancelli has donated more than $1 million to Trump Victory, the former president’s campaign and the Republican National Committee since 2018, ProPublica reported. The goal was to get the president to a second term over Democratic challengers Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Publix’s public position

Publix’s communications director Maria Brous released the supermarket chain’s response to the Miami Herald: “Mrs. Fancelli is not an employee of Publix Super Markets, and is neither involved in our business operations, nor does she represent the company in any way. We cannot comment on Mrs. Fancelli’s actions.”

Publix’s statement continued: “The violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 was a national tragedy. The deplorable actions that occurred that day do not represent the values, work or opinions of Publix Super Markets.”

Social media reaction

Publix is coming under fire on the public stage — social media, naturally — after the news broke regarding Fancelli’s contribution as the hashtag #BoycottPublix begins trending.

“Is it any surprise that DeSantis is rolling out the vaccine only in Publix stores, the heir of which gave $300,000 to the incitement to insurrection January 6th?” asked Twitter user KarenMD.

Many are tweeting their anger directly at Publix where, for some, shopping is not going to be a pleasure, to borrow from the store’s slogan.

“Company heir bankrolled thousands to traitors who want to overturn our government. We see who you are now. Won’t be shopping with this dictatorship wannabe organization.”

Customers are also brawling on the Twitter platform. To boycott or not to boycott?

“I am calling for a nationwide boycott of @Publix because profits from this supermarket chain were used to fund Trump’s illegal & seditionist efforts at stealing the election & overthrowing our Constitutional Democracy. Please retweet if you agree. Thank you,” read Richard Signorelli’s tweet.

In turn, @ChristianMel10 argued: “This is terribly misleading. The heir doesn’t have anything to do with Publix other than family name. It is not corporate Publix that you are referring to. Get your facts straight. I’m not for what the heir did but it was her money not Publix profits.”

Publix family

Fancelli, 71, is one of seven children born to George Jenkins and Ann MacGregor.

Jenkins founded Publix with its first store in Winter Haven, Florida, in 1930. Jenkins and MacGregor were divorced in 1974 after 27 years of marriage. He died in Lakeland, where Publix is headquartered, at age 88 in 1996.

For its first 53 years, Publix was not open on Sundays. Jenkins’ religious beliefs held that Sunday was the day of rest. But by 1983, as its competitors like Winn-Dixie were open on Sunday, Publix changed its policy and is open seven days a week except on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

In 2019, Publix had retail sales of $38 billion from 1,265 stores — 817 of which are in Florida.

Fancelli, who graduated from Mount Vernon Seminary in Washington and the University of Florida, married Mauro Adolfo Dino Fancellli who ran his family’s fruit and vegetable wholesale business in Florence, Italy, at the time of their Dec. 31, 1972 nuptials in Lakeland, according to a wedding notice in The New York Times.

Other political contributions

Fancelli is at the head of the Julia J. Fancelli Living Trust that donated $25,000 to the political action committee Friends of Ron DeSantis in October, the Miami New Times reported.

On Friday, after a growing public outrage by Palm Beach County residents and local government officials over COVID-19 vaccines only being administered at Publix stores — under order by Gov. DeSantis — the Florida Division of Emergency Management changed its position.

Vaccines that had been solely directed to Publix’s 67 stores in Palm Beach County now go to the Health Care District of Palm Beach County and Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County.

DeSantis’ pilot program had been criticized because Publix stores were not near low-income neighborhoods, thus causing a hardship for many seniors who are eligible for vaccines.

In South Florida, aside from Palm Beach County, Publix offers the vaccine at two stores in the Keys in Islamorada and Key West.

According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings, Fancelli’s former company, Alma Food Imports, sold nearly $6 million worth of merchandise to Publix between 2013 and 2017, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Publix cut its business ties with Alma in 2017 when the Fancellis left the company, the Broward New Times reported.

Campaign contributions from Publix have proven polarizing in recent years.

In 2018, Publix responded to boycott threats and “die-in” protests organized by Parkland students, because of its donations to Adam Putnam, a Republican with National Rifle Association membership running for governor. The chain said it was halting its corporate political contributions but that came after donating $670,000 in a three-year period to Putnam.

That figure was the most Publix had ever donated to a single political campaign.

Are you kidding, Publix? You shouldn’t bankroll anti-immigrant Florida politician.

In a May 2018 tweet, seven months before becoming Florida’s governor, DeSantis tweeted his support for Publix and the Second Amendment and blasted Parkland students for their protests, which had been organized by student David Hogg.

“I can’t understand why Publix would cave to such misguided and unfair complaints,” DeSantis tweeted. “The protests against Publix are ridiculous — who the heck wants people laying down in a supermarket? Shopping won’t be a pleasure if left-wing agitators get their way. I’ll always stand up for #2A!”

In 2019, Publix resumed its political donations to conservative candidates after DeSantis became the Republican nominee and won the governor’s race, The Tampa Bay Times reported.