America’s corporate titans oppose Trump travel ban
US CEOs call Trump’s immigrant plan un-American, bad for business
CEOs of some of the world’s biggest companies are fighting back against President Donald Trump’s temporary immigration ban, calling it un-American and bad for business.
The heads of Apple, Ford and Goldman Sachs said that they don’t support the executive order the president signed last week, which bans immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. Google said it is donating cash to organisations that support immigrants. Other companies said they will help employees affected by the ban or, in the case of Starbucks, hire refugees.
Businesses already have a complicated relationship with Trump, who has been openly critical of companies planning to build plants in Mexico or charge what he sees as too much for fighter jets. Some have announced hiring plans and investments in the US, saying they like Trump’s plans to reduce regulation and lower corporate taxes.
But the corporate reaction to the executive order was strong, quick and harsh.
“This is unprecedented,” said Bill Klepper, an adjunct management professor at Columbia Business School in New York.
Trump said the executive order, signed Friday, was necessary to stop “radical Islamic terrorists” from coming to the US. It included a 90-day ban on travel to the US by citizens of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen, and a 120-day suspension of the US refugee programme. The White House did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
It could be risky for businesses to speak out publicly, since Trump likes to fight back and criticise companies from his Twitter account, where the president forcefully defended his decision.
