diff --git a/www-client/chromium/chromium-54.0.2840.59.ebuild b/www-client/chromium/chromium-54.0.2840.59.ebuild
index 26e676cf5ac91..150f342b539ac 100644
--- a/www-client/chromium/chromium-54.0.2840.59.ebuild
+++ b/www-client/chromium/chromium-54.0.2840.59.ebuild
@@ -537,6 +537,10 @@ src_configure() {
 	# Make sure the build system will use the right tools, bug #340795.
 	tc-export AR CC CXX NM
 
+	# Work around people setting LD in make.conf, bug 597218.
+	# gn's bootstrap.py looks at the environment first.
+	export LD=${CXX}
+
 	# Define a custom toolchain for GN
 	myconf_gn+=" custom_toolchain=\"${FILESDIR}/toolchain:default\""
 
diff --git a/www-client/chromium/chromium-55.0.2873.0.ebuild b/www-client/chromium/chromium-55.0.2873.0.ebuild
index 53bd9394457d4..133ec4a2caa83 100644
--- a/www-client/chromium/chromium-55.0.2873.0.ebuild
+++ b/www-client/chromium/chromium-55.0.2873.0.ebuild
@@ -535,6 +535,10 @@ src_configure() {
 	# Make sure the build system will use the right tools, bug #340795.
 	tc-export AR CC CXX NM
 
+	# Work around people setting LD in make.conf, bug 597218.
+	# gn's bootstrap.py looks at the environment first.
+	export LD=${CXX}
+
 	# Define a custom toolchain for GN
 	myconf_gn+=" custom_toolchain=\"${FILESDIR}/toolchain:default\""