Mayor Bill de Blasio sides with Starbucks, says Donald Trump should 'lighten up'

Mayor Bill de Blasio sided with Starbucks -- and took issue with Donald Trump -- Wednesday in a brewing controversy over the coffee corporation's minimalist holiday cups.

"I don't care what they put on their cups," the Democrat said. "I care about what they do for working people, and they're doing the right thing by them," citing the company's employee benefits.

De Blasio swigged tea from a solid red Starbucks holiday cup at the end of yesterday's Veterans Day parade in midtown and often drinks espressos from the coffee chain.

Starbucks' holiday-edition paper cups have drawn the ire of Christian conservatives who criticized the lack of Christmas messaging and imagery.

Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, at a rally Tuesday in Springfield, Illinois, raised the idea of a boycott and denounced political correctness. "No more 'Merry Christmas' on Starbucks," he mused. "Maybe we should boycott Starbucks, I don't know. Seriously, I don't care."

He said, if elected, he would encourage people to say "Merry Christmas" rather than "Happy Holidays."

De Blasio's response seemed to suggest Trump could benefit from decaf. "I think Donald Trump should lighten up," the mayor said. "First of all, Starbucks serves every kind of person."

He gave the coffee giant "a lot of credit" for providing its employees with health insurance and educational opportunities.

"If more companies in America were doing what Starbucks is doing, this would be a different discussion," de Blasio said of his signature fight to close the gap between have and have-nots. "But they're a pretty lonely example of a company trying to address income inequality meaningfully."Starbucks has suggested its plain red cups are intended to be inclusive. "This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories," Jeffrey Fields, Starbucks vice president of Design & Content, said in a statement.

Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not respond to a request for comment.