CEOs on Trump’s economic council plan to stay on
Business leaders’ pressure on President Trump intensified Tuesday when more CEOs from his manufacturing council quit after his heavily criticized response to the tragedy in Charlottesville, Va.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, five executives have stepped down, including AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who had wavered on the decision but made up his mind after seeing Trump’s charged statements issued in front of live cameras at Trump Tower on Tuesday.
With the hashtag #Quitthecouncil, a social media campaign to pressure more CEOs to ditch Trump is already spreading. But Trump also works with another business advisory council — called the Strategic and Policy Forum — that he formed earlier in the year.
None of its members has so far quit over Trump’s handling of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville. But several CEOs on it — including Doug McMillon of Walmart and Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan & Chase — expressed dismay at the displays of racism at the rally and Trump’s response.
Trump has had run-ins with the policy forum members before. Uber founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick left in protest in February after Trump’s decision to ban travel from some Muslim countries.
Disney CEO Bob Iger and Tesla CEO Elon Musk also resigned in June after Trump pulled the U. S. from a comprehensive climate-change treaty, called the Paris Agreement.
USA TODAY reached out to the executives on the Strategic and Policy Forum to gauge their thoughts on working with Trump and their role in shaping Trump’s economic and business agenda given the recent developments.
Here are their responses:
Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart Stores
McMillion plans to stay on the forum. But he wrote a critical post about Trump on a company blog.
“Respect for the individual is one of our core beliefs at Walmart. And the role we play in communities around the country to build a more diverse and inclusive society is more critical than ever as the tragic events in Charlottesville over the weekend painfully reminded us. Our prayers are with the victims and their families, ” he wrote.
“As we watched the events and the response from President Trump over the weekend, we too felt that he missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together by unequivocally rejecting the appalling actions of white supremacists. His remarks today were a step in the right direction and we need that clarity and consistency in the future.
Our country is facing some very difficult issues that require our elected officials, business leaders and community-based organizations to work together. Representing a company with the largest and one of the most diverse groups of associates in the U. S., and an even more diverse customer base of tens of millions of customers, we believe we should stay engaged to try to influence decisions in a positive way and help bring people together. I will continue to strongly advocate on behalf of our associates and customers, and urge our elected officials to do their part to promote a more just, tolerant and diverse society.”
Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co
Dimon also plans to stay on the forum.
“We were all disturbed by the bigotry and violence in Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend and pray for the victims, their families and the healing of the community, ” he said in a statement. “The racist behavior on display by these perpetrators of hate should be condemned and has no place in a country that draws strength from our diversity and humanity.”
“The violence was a stark reminder that we must recommit ourselves every day as a society to stand up and uphold the values that bind us as Americans. As a firm, we have dedicated ourselves to advancing the American dream of economic opportunity for all, including programs for our employees and our corporate responsibility initiatives to build wealth and economic mobility among families and entrepreneurs of color.”
Mark Weinberger, Global Chairman and CEO of professional services firm EY
Weinberger will remain on the forum.
“Bigotry and hatred have no place in our society. I am deeply saddened and disturbed by the tragic, deplorable acts that took place in Charlottesville this weekend, ” he said in a statement. “My thoughts and prayers are with all of those directly affected by the senseless actions, and the many, many more indirectly affected. With more than 42,000 people in the US and 250,000 people around the world, EY is proud to be an inclusive organization. Now is the time for business leaders and government to unite to ensure we become stronger through our differences.”
Stephen Schwarzman (Forum Chairman) , chairman and CEO of Blackstone
Schwarzman, who chairs the Strategic and Policy Forum, will stay on to advise the president. He declined to comment further.
Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO of General Motors
Barra will remain on the council. She declined to comment further.
Adebayo “Bayo” Ogunlesi, Chairman and Managing Partner of Global Infrastructure Partners
Ogunlesi declined to comment.
*The following members couldn’t be reached for comment.
Paul Atkins, CEO of Patomak Global Partners and former commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission
Toby Cosgrove, CEO of Cleveland Clinic
Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock
Rich Lesser, President and CEO, Boston Consulting Group
Jim McNerney, former Chairman and CEO of Boeing Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo
Ginni Rometty, Chairman and CEO of IBM
Kevin Warsh, Visiting Fellow in Economics at Hoover Institute and former member of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System
Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of General Electric
Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman of IHS Markit
Contributing: Kellie Ell
