President Donald Trump’s initial statement to the race-fueled violence in Charlottesville, Virginia has resulted in multiple executives resigning from the federal Manufacturing Jobs Initiative panel.
President Donald Trump’s initial statement to the race-fueled violence in Charlottesville, Virginia has resulted in four executives resigning from the federal Manufacturing Jobs Initiative panel.
The CEOs from Merck, Under Armour and Intel, in addition to the president of the Alliance for the American Manufacturing have resigned from the federal panel created to advise the president.
In his first statement after news of the events spread, Trump said “many sides” were to blame while failing to single out any white supremacists or hate groups.
Trump didn’t seem worried by the departures Tuesday, Aug. 15, when he tweeted that “for every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS!” The Associated Press reports neither Trump nor the White House has said who the possible replacements are.
On Saturday, white nationalists protested the removal of Charlottesville, Virginia’s plans to remove a public shrine of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Three people were killed and more than 26 were injured as a result of the gathering.
One of the deaths and the bulk of the injuries occurred when a man drove his car into peaceful, anti-racist counterprotesters, sending bodies into the air and carnage in its wake. The other two deaths were Virginia State Police officers killed in a helicopter crash that has been tied to the protests.
The president said that the executives who have quit the panels are not “taking their jobs seriously” and are “leaving out of embarrassment.” A. P. reports he was initially slow to condemn any specific group because some facts were still unknown.
BREAKING: Trump says the ‘alt-left’ bears some responsibility for violence in Charlottesville, ‘nobody wants to say that.’
Trump also took to Twitter to directly call out Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier after the latter was the first to resign. Frazier is one of only four African Americans to lead a Fortune 500 at the moment, according to A. P.
“Our country’s strength stems from its diversity and the contributions made by men and women of different faiths, races, sexual orientations and political beliefs, ” Frazier said in a statement posted to the company’s Twitter account. “America’s leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal.
“As CEO of Merck and as a matter of personal conscience, I feel a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism.”
. @Merck Pharma is a leader in higher & higher drug prices while at the same time taking jobs out of the U. S. Bring jobs back & LOWER PRICES!
Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President’s Manufacturing Council, he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!
Scott Paul, the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, said in a tweet that he was resigning from the panel “because it’s the right thing to do.” Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank and Intel CEO Brian Krzanich also resigned in the aftermath of the race-fueled violence in Charlottesville.
When Trump pulled the United States from the Paris climate accord in June, Tesla CEO Elon Musk left the panel, as did Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger from the separate Strategic and Policy Forum.
After drawing ire from Democrats and Republicans alike for his initial response, Trump released a second statement Monday saying the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists are “criminals and thugs.”
“We must love each other, show affection for each other and unite together in condemnation of hatred, bigotry and violence, ” Trump said Monday, via A. P. “We must rediscover the bonds of love and loyalty that bring us together as Americans.”
Michigan Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, who chastised Trump’s first comments, responded to the second by saying “President of the United States should not have to be publicly shamed into condemning neo-Nazis and white supremacists.”
As for some of the executives and leaders staying on Trump’s federal panels, A. P. notes they are distancing themselves from racism but clarifying why they aren’t stepping down.
Campbell Soup CEO Denise Morrison said, through a spokesperson, that the company’s commitment to diversity is “unwavering” but that it is important for them to “have a voice and provide input” on the industry.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon emailed a statement criticizing Trump’s statement and the violence to employees Monday night, which was obtained by the New York Times.
McMillon wrote in the email that the company felt the president “missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together” when he failed to reject the actions of white supremacists. A Walmart spokesperson told the Times that McMillon will remain on Trump’s presidential advisory council on economic development.
In the email, the retailer’s CEO added that he will stay on to “try to influence decisions in a positive way and help bring people together.
“After this weekend, I am not sure what it would take to get these CEOs to resign, ” Lawrence Summers, former World Bank chief economist and Treasury official, tweeted. “Demonizing ethnic groups? That has happened.”
