, Columnist
CEOs Think Silence Will Save Them From Trump. They’re Wrong.
During his first term, business leaders served as counterweight. Don’t expect a repeat performance.
Remember the Trump 1.0 business council?
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If the run-up to the election can be taken as a preview, don’t expect corporate America to act as any kind of check to the Donald Trump presidency redux.
The strategy most CEOs adhered to during the campaign cycle was to do and say as little about politics as possible. It’s the same approach they seem poised to carry over into Trump’s next term — more interested in staying in the president-elect’s good graces than they are in acting as a counterweight to his bullying tactics and lack of civility. No one wants to attract the rage of the Trump White House, especially those who have been there before.