August, 15 2017, 02:15pm EDT
As CEOs Abandon Trump's Manufacturing Council Over Lackluster Repudiation of White Supremacists, Over 26,000 Demand Ford, GM, IBM, JPMorgan Chase and Other CEOs Follow Their Lead
SumOfUs Applauds Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, and Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank for Resigning from Trump’s American Manufacturing Council
WASHINGTON
Over 26,000 people have signed a petition by consumer watchdog group SumofUs, demanding CEOs on President Trump's business councils to resign from their posts advising the president. The petition comes after news yesterday that Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, and Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank announced their resignations from Trump's manufacturing council over Trump's failure to adequately repudiate white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, VA this past weekend.
VIEW THE PETITION HERE: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/it-s-time-for-ceos-to-step-off-of-trump-s-council/
In a statement, Frazier explained: "America's leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy," adding, "as a matter of personal conscience, I feel a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism." In response to Frazier's resignation, Trump tweeted: "Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President's Manufacturing Council, he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!"
Following Frazier, Krzanich, and Plank's decision to leave the council, SumOfUs, a global consumer group, is calling on other CEOs serving Trump's business and manufacturing councils to follow suit, and slamming the President for tweeting in retribution. SumOfUs campaign manager Nicole Carty explained:
"More and more we are seeing America's business leaders recognize that President Trump's brand of bigotry is bad for business. They know that working with a President who gives cover to white supremacist violence and terror is bad for America and they recognize that Trump's presidency is not business as usual, but represents a dangerous threat to pluralism and democratic values. Frazier, Plank, and Krzanich join the ranks of business leaders like Elon Musk and Bob Iger who took a stand by refusing to advise Trump and legitimize his destructive agenda--for that, we applaud them.
"To the CEOs who have remained on Trump's advisory councils, even after he has shown himself time and again as a racist, sexist warmonger who refuses to adequately condemn neo-nazis: Your complicity is noted. That is why over 26,000 SumOfUs members are urging Trump's remaining corporate advisors--including Ford's Mark Fields , GE's Jeff Immelt, JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, IBM's Ginni Rometty, Walmart's Doug McMillon, and Pepsi's Indra Nooyi --to follow the example of Frazier, Krzanich, and Plank by ending their collaboration with Trump's agenda of hate. "
FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/business/merck-ceo-trump-charlottesville.html?_r=0
SumOfUs is a community of people from around the world committed to curbing the growing power of corporations. We want to buy from, work for and invest in companies that respect the environment, treat their workers well and respect democracy. And we're not afraid to hold them to account when they don't. Barely a day goes by without a fresh corporate scandal making headlines. From polluting the environment to dodging taxes - when left unchecked, corporations don't let anything stand in the way of bigger profits. In an age of multinational companies that are bigger and richer than some countries, it can be easy to feel powerless. But there is a chink in their armor. The biggest corporations in the world rely on ordinary people to keep them in business. We are their customers, their employees, and often their investors. When we act together, we can be more powerful than they are. Together, our community of millions act as a global consumer watchdog - running and winning campaign
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