Following pressure from the exodus of leading CEOs from his advisory councils, Donald Trump announced that he is going to end them. According to Bloomberg, leading CEOs in the United States were in a bit of a bind regarding the extent to which they wished to be associated with the president of the country, and, if the past few days are anything to go by, many of them must have been reconsidering their positions. The presidential Advisory Council consisted of some of the most well-known CEOs in the country and the president's stand on the violence in Charlottesville sparked a mass exodus of sorts.
An uneasy relationship
It all started with the departure of Merck Ceo Kenneth Frazier on Monday, and since then there has been a steady exodus of other heavyweights from the advisory councils over these past few days. The statements released by most of those who departed did not shine a favorable light on the Trump administration, either. Some well-known names that left include Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi, Under Armour's Kevin Plank, and Brian Krzanich of Intel Corp, among others. Ultimately, the president had to wind up those councils in order to save himself from further embarrassment.
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
The move from these chief executives came as a direct consequence of the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville on 12 August and the president's inability to categorically condemn the white nationalists who were involved in the violence that unfolded.
The CEOs in question felt morally at odds with the president's reaction to the crisis and before long it turned into a mass exodus.
A come down
The act of giving up their places in the advisory council was definitely a laudable act from the CEOs concerned but at the same time, it must present an excruciating dilemma. According to experts who spoke to Bloomberg, most of these companies feel that their association with the president is damaging.
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
A total of 6 CEOs tendered their resignations.The president had earlier tweeted (tweet above) that these CEOs were grandstanders and that he had 'many to take their place' but it has turned out to be nothing more than an empty boast.
Although it cannot be denied that the closure of these advisory councils following these resignations will come as a setback for Donald Trump, it needs to be kept in mind that the president's statement on Tuesday must have come as a shock for these CEOs. The president went back to his initial response to the Charlottesville violence and stated that both sides should be held responsible.
