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BUSINESS Saturday 4 February 2017
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Pro- or anti-Trump? Businesses pushed to pick a side

JULIE BYKOWICZ ahead of Trump’s first White was at a company board bill from JP Morgan’s Di- from New York’s John F.
Associated Press House meeting Friday with meeting in California. mon. Kennedy Airport that was
WASHINGTON (AP) — Uber’s his business forum, a group A seat on a high-profile “There’s nobody better to in response to Trump’s ex-
CEO quit President Donald that includes General Mo- White House council, no tell me about Dodd-Frank ecutive order suspending
Trump’s business council. tors CEO Mary Barra, JP matter the political party than Jamie,” he said Friday. the country’s refugee pro-
Nordstrom stopped sell- Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon in power, has previously But an audience with this gram. It didn’t let up even
ing Ivanka Trump’s fashion. after Uber publicly con-
Boeing, Lockheed Martin demned Trump’s executive
and Toyota, meanwhile, order and contributed to
suffered through the dis- relief groups.
comfort of being on the re- Shannon Coulter, one of
ceiving end of Trump Twit- the organizers of the “Grab
ter tirades. Your Wallet” social media
The Trump era is a perilous effort to encourage boy-
new landscape for cor- cotts of companies tied to
porate America. Compa- Trump, said she would only
nies are feeling political be satisfied when Kalanick
pressure like never before, resigned from the presi-
squeezed on one side by dential forum, saying: “This
consumers who are boy- is not a ‘seat at the table’
cotting products with any moment. This is a flip-the-
ties to the administration table moment.”
and on the other by the Grab Your Wallet claimed
outspoken, social media- another victory Thursday
loving president. night when Nordstrom an-
For most companies, the nounced it had stopped
decision to get political selling first daughter Ivanka
used to be made after Trump’s fashion line. The
long, careful deliberations company cited the brand’s
among a company’s lead- performance. The depart-
er, public relations team, ment store was one of
lawyers and lobbyists. Now, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick poses during the launch of its bike-sharing product, uberMOTO, in Hy- Grab Your Wallet’s first tar-
in an increasingly divided derabad, India. Kalanick has quit President Donald Trump’s council of business leaders, accord- gets. Neiman Marcus also
America, companies may ing to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. Kalanick wrote to his employees that appears to have stopped
have no choice but to he’d spoken with Trump on Feb. 2, 2017, to “let him know that I would not be able to participate selling her jewelry.
move quickly. on his economic council. Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president “Companies have been
“You have to understand or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that.” late to the game with real-
your customers in real time (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.) izing how much ire it can
because political rami- create to associate with a
fications are happening and a dozen others. The been a can’t-pass-up sign president, at least at this person like Donald,” Coul-
instantly,” said Matt Fried- night before, Uber’s Travis of prestige. It’s a direct way stage, brings with it cus- ter said.
man, a crisis communica- Kalanick told his employees for a company to express tomer complications. No While the anti-Trump boy-
tions adviser based near he’d decided to quit the opinions to the president — doubt weighing into Ka- cotters cheered Nordstrom,
Detroit who has worked council because his pres- far less fraught than trying lanick’s decision to give up angry Trump supporters
with public and private ence on it was being “mis- to gain access through lob- that influence was the boy- deluged the company with
companies. “Each busi- interpreted” as an endorse- bying or donating money. cott the ride-sharing com- angry messages on Twitter
ness now has to look at ment of the president. Trump said he intends to pany, popular in urban, — some saying they were
where their customer fits “I spent a lot of time think- take advice from the coun- largely Democratic areas, now prepared to begin
into the political divide and ing about this and map- cil, which he said would had been experiencing all their own boycott.
how their company values ping it to our values,” Ka- meet regularly to discuss week. Nordstrom spent the night
align to what the president lanick told employees in an policies. Trump said he’d That campaign went viral responding to hundreds of
is doing on a day-to-day internal memo obtained by be seeking guidance on on social media Saturday them, with messages like:
basis.” The Associated Press. his plans to roll back the fi- night when people per- “We’re so sorry to disap-
The predicament for com- Disney CEO Bob Iger didn’t nancial services legislation ceived Uber as trying to point you. It’s not a political
panies was on display attend either; instead he known as the Dodd-Frank break a taxi strike to and decision for us.”q
Trump still meets with business council after Uber CEO quits

JULIE BYKOWICZ others “will express our ob- with Trump on Thursday to spokesman said. Schwarzman said at the
Associated Press jections to the recent ex- “let him know that I would Led by Stephen Schwarz- beginning of the forum that
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- ecutive order on immigra- not be able to participate man, chairman and chief its purpose is to “advise the
dent Donald Trump met tion and offer suggestions on his economic council. executive of the private government on the areas
with 17 business titans Fri- for changes to the policy.” Joining the group was not equity group Blackstone, where we could do things
day at the White House, The divisive policy prompt- meant to be an endorse- the council includes the a lot better in our country,
and some in attendance ed Uber CEO Travis Ka- ment of the president or his leaders of Wal-Mart, JP for all Americans.”
had planned to press him lanick to quit the council agenda but unfortunately Morgan, the Cleveland “We are going to cover the
on his executive order up- Thursday night, according it has been misinterpreted Clinic and Pepsi, among immigration thing, we are
ending the country’s refu- to an internal memo ob- to be exactly that.” others. going to cover regulatory
gee program. tained by The Associated Disney CEO Bob Iger didn’t Vice President Mike Pence relief, we are going to cov-
Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk Press. attend either; he was at and many top White House er tax and trade, women in
said in a statement ahead Kalanick wrote to his em- a company board meet- aides joined Trump to wel- the work place, infrastruc-
of the meeting that he and ployees that he’d spoken ing in California, a Disney come the panel. ture,” Schwarzman said.q