August 16, 2017

Trump Shuts Down Manufacturing Council Before More CEOs Abandon Him

You can’t quit something that doesn’t exist.

President Donald Trump speaking at Trump Tower on Tuesday.Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

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Donald Trump’s connections to the business community are disappearing after the president failed to clearly denounce white supremacists following the protests in Charlottesville. A string of CEOs have disavowed associations with the president this week, forcing Trump to disband several groups of business advisers to the White House. 

On Tuesday, Trump tweeted that for every CEO leaving his Manufacturing Council he had plenty to take their place. A day later, he changed his mind. On Wednesday, Trump announced on Twitter that he was ending both the Manufacturing Council and his Strategic and Policy Forum.

Trump’s decision to eliminate the Manufacturing Council comes after eight CEOs and labor leaders quit in the wake of Trump’s half-hearted condemnation of white supremacist protests in Charlottesville. Twitter users were quick to compare the cancellation to a preemptive breakup.

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