Target CEO Seems To Lie About Transgender Bathing Suits Details

Over the summer, Target caught major backlash for its LGBTQ+ merchandise marketed to children. The Pride Month display featured special "tuck-friendly" bathing suits and rainbow products designed by a Satanist.

But if you ask Target CEO Brian Cornell, it was all just a fever dream.

Last week, Cornell appeared on CNBC to discuss declining sales in the wake of the controversy. Host Becky Quick questioned him about the "transgender bathing suits that are being targeted and marketed to kids." She also mentioned that Target chose to work with a designer who is a "devil worshiper."

Cornell responded, "You and I both know, those weren't true."

Except they were true. And we have the receipts. Not only did the retail store carry girls and women's swimsuits with enough room to tuck your penis, but it also targeted kids with gay and transgender-themed T-shirts, toys and even onesies.

Target CEO Called Out For Blatant Lie

Consumers' Research executive director Will Hild is putting Cornell on blast for denying what we all saw with our own eyeballs.

"He just flat out lies about what Target did," Hild told Fox News Digital.

"He says that they didn't target children with transgender ideology products, and he says that they didn't work with the devil worshiper. Both of those things are verifiable facts. They've been reported by a number of different publications, and there's just no question that this was done. He's flat out lying to his customers."

The devil worshipper in question is the U.K.-based brand Abprallen. Target partnered with Abprallan head Erik Carnell to create special Pride Month merchandise for its stores. The company sells clothing with phrases like "We Bash Back" with a heart-shaped mace in the trans-flag colors, "Transphobe Collector" with a skull, and "Homophobe Headrest" with skulls beside a pastel guillotine.

And in case there was any doubt about the Satanist thing, here's this.

"One additional claim he made is that children were not targeted with these so-called 'tuck' bathing suits that were being sold. And that's just not true," Hild said.

"They were placed in and among products made for children next to them into the display. If that's not targeting children — if you're putting literally the product next to child's products — I don't know what targeting is." 

In addition to selling LGBTQ+ products for kids, Target also partnered with GLSEN, a K-12 education group that focuses on getting school districts to adopt policies that will keep parents in the dark about their child's gender transition, providing sexually explicit books to schools, and integrating gender ideology in curricula.

GLSEN has received at least $2.1 million in donations from Target. 

Target Lost Billions After Pride Month Fiasco

The controversial kids' Pride section sparked outrage and boycotts across the country. In the first week alone, the major retailer lost $9 billion. The losses even caused a group of shareholders to sue Target over the Pride merch that resulted in the plummeting stock price.

But instead of taking responsibility for an obviously terrible business decision, Cornell blamed the rightfully-angry customers — saying they made his employees feel unsafe.

"What we saw coming out of Target CEO Cornell in this interview is a common tactic that companies that get in trouble for going woke use, where they try to put their employees safety or some concerns about their employees well-being in front of their mistake," Hild said. 

"They focus on that instead of what they've done to offend their consumer. And consumers should really see this as another finger in their eye. This guy is trying to pretend like the customer is the real problem here and not the fact that they were trying to push a far-left radical gender ideology on the children or in their store."

Bingo. I couldn't have said it better myself.

"He wants to deflect and put the blame back on his own customer base," Hild continued. "He's basically blaming you, the customer, for his mistakes."

But Cornell isn't just blaming you, the customer. He's also gaslighting you — telling you that what you saw never actually happened.

Shaming, blaming and lying to your customers? I'm no CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, but it seems like a poor strategy to me.

Follow Amber on X at @TheAmberHarding or email her at Amber.Harding@OutKick.com.