Now, following these high-profile departures, Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum and the American Manufacturing Council — both business advisory councils — are disbanding entirely.
The Timeline
After Trump’s initial response failed to call out the white supremacists and Neo-Nazis involved in the event, Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma resigned from the American Manufacturing Council. Trump then released a more specific statement on Monday condemning racism in all forms, before following this up with a Tuesday press conference in which he reiterated his initial insinuation that violence on both sides equated white nationalists with their protesters. During these few days, more members of the American Manufacturing Council left —representatives from Intel and Under Armour — as well as members of other Trump-led panels. A fourth member of the same Manufacturing Council, the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, stepped down on Tuesday.
Disbanding Trump’s Panels
Today, two panels have been disbanded — both after losing members due to their disapproval with the current administration’s response to the Charlottesville attack. Following this news, Trump took to Twitter to announce his own dismantling of the American Manufacturing Council while also referencing the Strategic and Policy Forum’s decision to disband: ‘The thinking was it was important to do as a group,’ a member told CNBC. ‘As a panel, not as individuals because it would have more significant impact. It makes a central point that it’s not going to go forward. It’s done.’”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2017 TechCo will update this post should additional panels disband before the day is up. Update: Trump has now ended plans for his Council on Infrastructure. Meanwhile, members of the White House presidential arts commission are resigning, also in protest of Trump’s comments. Read more about the latest on Google and diversity at TechCo
