When President Donald Trump was a reality-television star on The Apprentice, his signature phrase was "You're fired!" Now it is Mr. Trump who is getting fired, by the CEOs of some of the biggest companies in the United States.
As of Tuesday, four people – and counting – had resigned from the American Manufacturing Council, an advisory board created by Mr. Trump to help steer policy on manufacturing and job creation. All of them left over the President's unconvincing denunciation of the deadly violent march by neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., on the weekend.
First to leave was Kenneth Frazier, the CEO of Merck, whose grandfather was born into slavery in the U.S. After him came the CEOs of Intel and Under Armour, and the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing.
In a further rebuke on Tuesday, the CEO of Wal-Mart said Mr. Trump "missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together by unequivocally rejecting the appalling actions of white supremacists." Doug McMillon will remain on the advisory board, however.
The words and actions of the CEOs of billion-dollar public companies stung the President deeply. Mr. Trump could have easily and correctly pointed out that the vast majority of the CEOs on the manufacturing council are staying on. But instead he lashed out on Twitter, calling the few who left "grandstanders" and accusing Mr. Frazier's company, Merck, of having "ripoff drug prices."
The episode highlights the difficulties facing CEOs, or anyone else, who tries to work with the self-centred Mr. Trump for the greater good. American businesspeople are attracted to his promises of lower taxes and less regulation, but many are also troubled by his base political instincts, especially his ongoing defence of right-wing racists, which he reiterated on Tuesday.
"I resigned to call attention to the serious harm our divided political climate is causing to critical issues, including the serious need to address the decline of American manufacturing," said Brian Krzanich, the CEO of Intel.
Mr. Trump was elected on a promise to revive American manufacturing. The greatest obstacle to getting the job done is the President himself.