WASHINGTON — (CNN ) President Trump’s two business advisory groups have fallen apart in the wake of his remarks on Charlottesville.
As it became clear CEOs were fleeing him, Trump said on Twitter on Wednesday that he was disbanding both groups.
He tweeted: “Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!”
Eight members of the manufacturing council had already walked away in recent days, in the wake of Trump’s repeated avowal that violence at a rally of white supremacists in Charlottesville was perpetrated by many sides. They included CEOs of several major corporations and the AFL-CIO, among others.
A second group, the Strategic and Policy Forum, was led by Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman. It included some of the biggest players in finance and business: JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, General Motors CEO Mary Barra, and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon. It had met several times since it was established shortly after the election.
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
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