No, Lowe's CEO didn't tell conservatives to shop at Home Depot | Fact check

The claim: Image shows CNBC report that Lowe’s CEO told conservatives to ‘take their money to Home Depot’

An Aug. 26 Facebook post ( direct link , archive link ) shows what appears to be a still frame of a CNBC broadcast showing a photo of Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison next to a quote attributed to him.

“If conservatives do not like our values, they should take their money to Home Depot,” the purported quote reads.

The post was shared more than 300 times in two days. A similar version circulated widely on Instagram.

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Our rating: Altered

The image was digitally edited to change the text of the quote attributed to Ellison. The graphic did not come from an authentic CNBC report, a network spokesperson said. Lowe’s said the statement attributed to its CEO is a fabrication.

Statement fabricated, did not appear in CNBC story

The purported statement is a fabrication that did not appear in any authentic CNBC stories, according to spokespeople for both Lowe’s and the network.

Ellison did not make the comment attributed to him, Lowe’s said in an Aug. 26 X post . The graphic containing the statement shown in the Facebook post was not aired by CNBC, spokeswoman Steph Hirlemann told USA TODAY. It is an edited version of a still frame taken from an Aug. 20 clip about the home improvement retailer’s second-quarter earnings report.

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While the video includes two full-screen graphics containing statements attributed to Ellison, neither mentions anything about conservatives shopping at a competing store. Instead, the first graphic quotes Ellison as saying , “Inflation remains high. And big-ticket purchases are being delayed as customers sit back and wait for interest rates to fall.” The statement in the second graphic reads, “It’s not like we’ve seen a dramatic shift one way or another in overall consumer sentiment.”

The fabricated quote circulated as Lowe’s was targeted by a conservative activist who campaigns against companies that promote diversity, equity and inclusion programs, as USA TODAY previously reported. The home improvement chain altered some of its DEI policies , saying it will no longer take part in surveys for the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign and is combining three resource groups for diverse employees into one.

USA TODAY reached out to several social media users who shared the claim but did not immediately receive any responses.

PolitiFact and Snopes also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

• Steph Hirlemann , Aug. 28, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• Lowe’s, Aug. 26, X post
• CNBC, Aug. 20, Lowe’s cuts full-year outlook as it expects home improvement sales to weaken
• CNBC (archive), Aug. 28, Lowe’s CNBC Graphic 1
• CNBC (archive), Aug. 28, Lowe’s CNBC Graphic 2

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, Lowe's CEO didn't tell conservatives to shop at Home Depot | Fact check