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Trump jettisons business councils after CEOs quit in protest

By David Shepardson and Michael Erman

 

Protesters wave anti-Trump signs during protests in front of Trump Tower in New York City, New York, U.S., August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

 

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Donald Trump announced the disbanding of two high-profile business advisory councils on Wednesday after several chief executives quit in protest over his remarks blaming weekend violence in Virginia not only on white nationalists but also on anti-racism activists who opposed them.

 

A parade of prominent Republicans and U.S. ally Britain also rebuked Trump after his comments on Tuesday about the bloodshed in the college town of Charlottesville further enveloped his seven-month-old presidency in controversy, paralysed his policy aims and left him increasingly isolated.

 

Trump announced the dissolution of the American Manufacturing Council and Strategic and Policy Forum, whose members included some leading American business figures, after eight executives including Campbell Soup Co CEO <CPB.N> Denise Morrison and 3M Co CEO <MMM.N> Inge Thulin quit the panels. Both of the councils were moving to disband on their own when Trump made his announcement on Twitter.

 

A memorial service was held on Wednesday in Charlottesville for 32-year-old Heather Heyer, killed when a car plowed into the anti-racism protesters. A 20-year-old Ohio man said to have harboured Nazi sympathies has been charged with murder.

 

Trump, a real estate magnate who had never before held public office, was elected president in November touting his experience in the business world and ability to strike deals. But some of the Republican president's actions and words have alienated many corporate leaders.

 

The Strategic and Policy Forum was headed by Blackstone Group <BX.N> CEO Stephen Schwarzman, a close ally of Trump in the business world. Schwarzman organised a call on Wednesday for member executives to voice concerns after Trump's comments, and an overwhelming majority backed disbanding the council, two sources said.

 

Schwarzman then called Trump to tell him about the decision to disband, and the president subsequently announced he was the one pulling the plug on the panels.

 

"Racism and murder are unequivocally reprehensible and not morally equivalent to anything else that happened in Charlottesville," Morrison said.

 

JPMorgan Chase & Co <JPM.N> CEO Jamie Dimon, a member of one of the panels, said he strongly disagreed with Trump's reaction to the events in Charlottesville, adding in a statement that "racism, intolerance and violence are always wrong" and "fanning divisiveness is not the answer."

 

Dow Chemical Co <DOW.N> Chief Executive Andrew Liveris, who headed the manufacturing council, said he told the White House on Wednesday that "in the current environment it was no longer possible to conduct productive discussions."

 

Trump said on Twitter, "Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both."

 

The Strategic and Policy Forum was intended to advise Trump on how government policy impacts economic growth, job creation and productivity. The manufacturing council was designed to promote U.S. job growth.

 

Along with the snubs from business leaders, Trump was rebuked by a string of Republicans including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Senator Lindsey Graham and former U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

 

The president needs the support of fellow Republicans as he tries to push his policy agenda, including tax cuts, through a Congress that is controlled by the Republicans.

 

Few public figures have voiced support for Trump over his response to the violence. Vice President Mike Pence, who is cutting short a trip to Latin America, told reporters in Chile that "I stand with the president and I stand by those words." Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke praised Trump's "honesty and courage." Richard Spencer, head of a white nationalist group, lauded the president for "speaking the truth."

 

U.S. stocks ended slightly firmer but off the day's highs as investors worried that the backlash to Trump's remarks could stunt his ability to deliver on pro-business promises.

 

POSSIBLE RESIGNATIONS

 

A former senior Trump administration official raised the prospect that some White House officials could quit because of Trump's comments.

 

The demise of the councils raised Wall Street speculation that senior administration figures such as White House economic adviser Gary Cohn or U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin might step down to avoid the tarnish of being associated with Trump.

 

Cohn, Mnuchin and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao stood awkwardly by Trump during his remarks at Trump Tower on Tuesday.

 

"He's worried about his reputation being trashed, which is much more valuable to him than anything else," the former administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said of Cohn.

 

McConnell, who last week drew Trump's ire over the Senate's failure to pass healthcare legislation, issued a statement saying "messages of hate and bigotry" from white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups should not be welcome anywhere in the United States. McConnell's statement did not mention Trump by name.

 

The Republican Jewish Coalition, a group whose board includes several former Republican officials and big party donors including casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, called on Trump to "provide greater moral clarity in rejecting racism, bigotry and antisemitism."

 

There is "simply no place" in American public discourse for "hate and violence" displayed in Charlottesville, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said before meeting with Canada's foreign minister.

 

'BLAME ON BOTH SIDES'

 

Trump's remarks on Tuesday were a more vehement reprisal of his initial response to the bloodshed. At a heated news conference in New York, he said "there is blame on both sides" of the violence, and that there were "very fine people" on both sides.

 

In London, British Prime Minister Theresa May offered a rare rebuke of Trump from so close a U.S. ally.

 

"I see no equivalence between those who propound fascist views and those who oppose them and I think it is important for all those in positions of responsibility to condemn far-right views wherever we hear them," May told reporters when asked to comment on Trump's stance.

 

Politicians in Germany, which has tough laws against hate speech and any symbols linked to the Nazis who murdered six million Jews in the Holocaust, expressed shock at the images of people in Charlottesville carrying swastikas and chanting anti-Jewish slurs.

The country's justice minister accused Trump of trivializing anti-Semitism and racism.

 

Senior American military officers usually stay clear of politics, but two more of the U.S. military's top officers weighed in on Wednesday, without explicitly mentioning Trump.

 

U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley wrote on Twitter, "The Army doesn't tolerate racism, extremism, or hatred in our ranks. It's against our Values and everything we've stood for since 1775."

 

Air Force Chief of Staff General Dave Goldfein‏ said on Twitter that "I stand with my fellow service chiefs in saying we're always stronger together."

 

Their comments followed similar ones from the top officers of the Navy and Marine Corps.

 

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Michael Erman in New York; Additional reporting by Jeff mason in New York, Susan Heavey, Steve Holland, Makini Brice and Mohammad Zargham in Washington, and Lisa Girion in California; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Frances Kerry and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-17

[Jingthing]

Hopefully, this is another sign that his atrociously immoral presidency is disintegrating quickly. 

[rijb]

37 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Hopefully, this is another sign that his atrociously immoral presidency is disintegrating quickly. 

I think it already has.  They just need to do the paperwork.

[mtls2005]

Trump takes his ball, and goes home.

 

Associating your company and brand with Trump just doesn't seem that smart, unless you're a Nazi.

 

 

[attrayant]

 
Schwarzman then called Trump to tell him about the decision to disband, and the president subsequently announced he was the one pulling the plug on the panels.

In other words, You can't quit, because I'm firing you!

As usual, Trump threw a temper tantrum.

[blazes]

The problem is: get rid of Trump and then....what?  We return to business as usual?  

We already know that the generals (and their friends in the defense establishment) call all the shots, no matter WHO is the Potus.  So, the one good thing about Candidate Trump was his promise to "drain the swamp".  

And that was the first promise he broke, by appointing another Goldman alumnus as Treasury Secretary.

 

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

[craigt3365]

37 minutes ago, blazes said:

The problem is: get rid of Trump and then....what?  We return to business as usual?  

We already know that the generals (and their friends in the defense establishment) call all the shots, no matter WHO is the Potus.  So, the one good thing about Candidate Trump was his promise to "drain the swamp".  

And that was the first promise he broke, by appointing another Goldman alumnus as Treasury Secretary.

 

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

BS. The generals don't call the shots. Nor does the defense industry. The problem is a dysfunctional congress. Now with a mentally unstable president.

[spidermike007]

The one thing about Trump, is that we can all depend on him to shoot himself in his own foot. It is what he is best at. He has the emotional temperament of an adolescent, and has no discipline or self control. So, when he goes off script, watch out! You could just see Kelly cringing, and hanging his head in shame. I work for this guy? How did that happen? How did I get myself in this position. I cannot believe what he is saying. Why is he saying this? What on earth is he thinking? Does he really have that much hatred in his heart? 

 

He is getting rid of the business council, only because they got rid of him. Most of these people resigned, as they could not stomach being connected with this irrational monster anymore. He is making a very clumsy attempt to deflect again, trying to make it look like it was his idea to dissolve the council, when in reality the council dissolved themselves of the clown.

 

He, and his very White House are disintegrating before our very eyes. On the one hand, it is a shame, as the influence and reputation, and goodwill the US has, is diminishing by the day, with this circus jester, deflector in chief. On the other hand good riddens. No nation needs a leader this inept, and this hateful. 

 

Now, on the the lying. This man cannot get through one hour of his life, without telling lies. He just makes it up as he goes along. As chief of his companies he could get away with it. Nobody took him to task. But, now that he has a public position, and he has to answer to the house, the senate, and the American people, he is finding it much harder to cover up his lies. But, he just does not seem to care. The degree of hubris he has, combined with an ego the size of New York City, allows him to operate in a different universe. His lies about the left attacking the peaceful Nazi sympathizers, and white supremacists was a lie that has topped all the lies of the past. Sure, there were some who defended themselves when they were attacked by a vicious mob. The mob Trump referred to a very fine people. But, most were just making a political point, when they were attacked. He distorts everything. He is the liar in chief. He will do or say anything to defend his positions. Get used to saying President Pence. It is my guess that he will resign. He is just not used to getting so much pushback, and I think he will tire of it. Or have an aneurism.  

 

Let's talk about what really happened at the rally:

 

On Friday night, hundreds of white supremacists and neo-fascists had a torchlight march across the University of Virginia’s campus, a place to which they had not been invited. They openly chanted fascist slogans like “blood and soil” and “Jews will not replace us”.  When they reached a much smaller group of counter-protesters gathered around a statue of Thomas Jefferson, they surrounded them, hurled verbal abuse and then commenced beating them with lit torches and fists, and using pepper spray on them. Some protesters told me they had been sprayed with lighter fluid while naked flames burned all around them. Some of the people trapped around the statue responded with fists and pepper spray, but their actions, and their posture, was entirely defensive from the start. The “alt-right”, on the other hand, came prepared for violence, and they were spoiling for it. That night, it was not the left that “came charging, with clubs in their hands”. Quite the contrary. 

On Saturday, again, the far-right protesters came primed for violence, and most counter-protesters adopted an entirely defensive posture. Hundreds of white supremacists, mostly young men, marched to Emancipation Park through the streets of Charlottesville in military-style formations.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/16/charlottesville-violence-right-left-trump?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

 

Edited August 17, 2017 by spidermike007

[tomacht8]

.....and the president subsequently announced he was the one pulling the plug on the panels.

His ego is more important to him than the welfare of his nation.
His slogan - America first - is wrong.
It must be called: Trump first

[blazes]

2 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

BS. The generals don't call the shots. Nor does the defense industry. The problem is a dysfunctional congress. Now with a mentally unstable president.

Clearly you have read no history.  Go back and listen to Ike warning all American citizens about the 'military/industrial complex" and then learn something before being so abusive.

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, blazes said:

Clearly you have read no history.  Go back and listen to Ike warning all American citizens about the 'military/industrial complex" and then learn something before being so abusive.

I know his quote well. And have read about it. But to say generals run the US isn't true. In Myanmar yes. The US, no.

[craigt3365]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2017/05/08/eisenhowers-military-industrial-complex-shrinks-to-1-of-economy/#cc97634bed1f

That phrase became the basis for endless conspiracy theories about the undue influence that arms merchants supposedly exercised over government decisions. The theories typically argue that senior military officers, industry executives and key members of Congress collude to drive up weapons spending and distort national priorities.

 

 Today, the notion that a military-industrial complex is calling the shots in Washington has become laughable.

[blazes]

If it were "laughable", America would not be selling billions of dollarsworth of arms to Saudi Arabia.

Quoting from Forbes is hardly a source of intellectual rigour.

[craigt3365]

25 minutes ago, blazes said:

If it were "laughable", America would not be selling billions of dollarsworth of arms to Saudi Arabia.

Quoting from Forbes is hardly a source of intellectual rigour.

There's a huge difference between selling products and controlling the government. Forbes is a reputable media outlet.

 

As the article states, the speech, from decades ago, sprouts many conspiracy theories. it's like saying Walmart , the world's largest company with millions of employees , controls the US government . Yes, laughable.  

[blazes]

In some ways, Walmart, if it does not actually control the whole government, has a strong say in what the national minimum wage should be.  

 

Seems to me you are turning a blind eye away from the fact that no president since Ike (or before!) has taken on the defense establishment.  Too tedious to warble on here about the trillions of dollars spent on the military...when the US is threatened by no one as far as I can see (other than by nuclear destruction, which closes off all conversations, including this one.)

[smotherb]

4 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

BS. The generals don't call the shots. Nor does the defense industry. The problem is a dysfunctional congress. Now with a mentally unstable president.

You really think congress is running it?

[dunroaming]

More and more people are distancing themselves from Trump.  Nobody with an ounce of self respect would want to be associated with this moron.  It is encouraging to see so many people standing up against the Alt right.  It was always on the cards that Trump would divide the country with his ludicrous vitriol.  It is important now that the people and the media keep the pressure on and get this fool removed for good!

[craigt3365]

2 hours ago, smotherb said:

You really think congress is running it?

They make the laws. But like I said, an absolute mess.

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, dunroaming said:

More and more people are distancing themselves from Trump.  Nobody with an ounce of self respect would want to be associated with this moron.  It is encouraging to see so many people standing up against the Alt right.  It was always on the cards that Trump would divide the country with his ludicrous vitriol.  It is important now that the people and the media keep the pressure on and get this fool removed for good!

The only ones NOT distancing themselves from Trump are his fellow Republicans.

[Berkshire]

5 hours ago, blazes said:

In some ways, Walmart, if it does not actually control the whole government, has a strong say in what the national minimum wage should be.  

 

Seems to me you are turning a blind eye away from the fact that no president since Ike (or before!) has taken on the defense establishment.  Too tedious to warble on here about the trillions of dollars spent on the military...when the US is threatened by no one as far as I can see (other than by nuclear destruction, which closes off all conversations, including this one.)

Yet, it is your hero Trump who wants to raise defense spending even beyond current inflated levels.  Do you have any idea what you're talking about?  Note: Rhetorical question.

[Berkshire]

13 hours ago, attrayant said:

 

In other words, You can't quit, because I'm firing you!

As usual, Trump threw a temper tantrum.

It's amazing that Trump keeps doing crap like this, as if no one will notice.  By preempting the mass exodus, does Trump really believe that he's somehow calling the shots?  Being the incredibly stupid man that he is, I really think Trump feels like he's fooling the public.  

[dunroaming]

3 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

The only ones NOT distancing themselves from Trump are his fellow Republicans.

Well a few of them anyway.

[Jingthing]

The only ones NOT distancing themselves from Trump are his fellow Republicans.

Not yet. Maybe not ever. But now more possible.

[smotherb]

4 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

They make the laws. But like I said, an absolute mess.

they are very heavily influenced by lobbyists from big business with any bills they propose

[Becker]

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

It's amazing that Trump keeps doing crap like this, as if no one will notice.  By preempting the mass exodus, does Trump really believe that he's somehow calling the shots?  Being the incredibly stupid man that he is, I really think Trump feels like he's fooling the public.  

He's only fooling the fools who constitute his base - and those are the only Americans the man-child cares about. And when I say "cares about" I don't mean that he actually gives a damn about their well-being but rather their opinion of him.

It's all about his ego.

[baboon]

28 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Not yet. Maybe not ever. But now more possible.

One does wonder, JT... The man could stand up at a press conference, pull his trousers down and knock one out in front of the world's media, but he would still be surrounded by this hardcore of people denying it happened and praising him him for it at the same time. Post truth world and all that...

[anon4546543]

One thing that stands out in this sorry period of history is how many far right voters there are in the US.  Besides the KKK, white skinned racists and Nazi lovers, there seems to be a large majority of right wing bigots, if not loonies to make up the base camp of the Republican party.  The history of Germany from 1923  to 1945 seems to be attempted to be reenacted.  Oh well, that is democracy for you, you always get the elected persons you deserve.  I really do wonder what is being taught in schools to allow a buffoon like Trump to run a country and be fully supported by the money and the conservatives and most of the voters. POTUS (Putin of the United States) must be laughing, as is Uncle Kim, Uncle XI, Madame Merkel, Muffta ..... et al. May Buddha help us  

[craigt3365]

9 hours ago, smotherb said:

they are very heavily influenced by lobbyists from big business with any bills they propose

Yes, one of the biggest problems! Something Trump campaigned on only to end up hiring lobbyists! Huge problem.

[smotherb]

19 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Yes, one of the biggest problems! Something Trump campaigned on only to end up hiring lobbyists! Huge problem.

Yeah, and now he has dismantled his committees on big business because so many of them wanted to distance themselves from him

[attrayant]

Unsurprisingly, no members of his religious/evangelical council have resigned. Who'd have thought big business would have more morals than big religion?