Update: Trump just disbanded the group.
Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2017
In January, President Trump announced the creation of the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative — and along with it, he announced a group of business leaders who would be part of a manufacturing council to advise him on business issues.
But several of these business leaders have resigned from that council in protest of Trump’s actions.
First was Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who left in June after Trump withdrew the US from the Paris climate accords.
Then on Monday, three people resigned from the council after Trump’s weak response to the white nationalist march in Charlottesville, Virginia.
First was Merck CEO Ken Frazier, who released this statement:
— Merck (@Merck) August 14, 2017
Trump shot back at Merck by returning to an issue from his campaign:
Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President's Manufacturing Council,he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2017
As my colleague Sarah Kliff writes, this is part of Trump’s fake war on pharmaceutical companies — one that he has taken no action on. And his tweet didn’t seem to have a negative effect on Merck’s stock price. In fact, it had its best day in weeks.
Shortly thereafter, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank resigned:
I love our country & company. I am stepping down from the council to focus on inspiring & uniting through power of sport. - CEO Kevin Plank pic.twitter.com/8YvndJMjj1
— Under Armour (@UnderArmour) August 15, 2017
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich resigned as well:
I stand with others for equality and improving US competitiveness. Both require
— Brian Krzanich (@bkrunner) August 15, 2017
improving in todays environment. https://t.co/RcjpGaFXBQ
In response, Trump tweeted this today:
For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 15, 2017
Minutes later, Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, also tweeted his resignation:
I'm resigning from the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative because it's the right thing for me to do.
— Scott Paul (@ScottPaulAAM) August 15, 2017
On Tuesday, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka resigned, along with AFL-CIO deputy chief of staff Thea Lee.
I cannot sit on a council for a President that tolerates bigotry and domestic terrorism; I resign, effective immediately. pic.twitter.com/ip6F2nsoog
— Richard L. Trumka (@RichardTrumka) August 15, 2017
On Wednesday, 3M CEO Inge Thulin resigned:
— 3M (@3M) August 16, 2017
On Wednesday, Campbell Soup CEO Denise Morrison also resigned:
#CEODenise resigns from president’s manufacturing jobs initiative https://t.co/3R62gBOemD pic.twitter.com/B2FAmcCNyF
— Campbell Soup Co (@CampbellSoupCo) August 16, 2017
This means that of the 28 people Trump first named to the council, nine of them have resigned. And this doesn’t include Ford CEO Mark Fields and Arconic CEO Klaus Kleinfeld, both of whom left their respective companies.
All told, 11 of the original 28 are no longer on the council.
This doesn’t include the CEOs who resigned from Trump’s Strategic Policy Forum. Disney CEO Bob Iger quit after Trump withdrew the US from the Paris agreement, and former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick quit after the turmoil at his company.
Recode has a list of everyone who is still in and who’s out, but below we’ve charted who is left on the manufacturing council from that original group, sorted by sector and employees. In short, even though many business leaders have quit in protest, most are still in.
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