The CEOs of pharmaceutical company Merck, athletic wear manufacturer Under Armour and computer chip maker Intel on Monday resigned from the White House’s American Manufacturing Council — with the Merck withdrawal drawing a quick and angry Twitter outburst from US President Donald Trump.
Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier cited the president’s failure to explicitly rebuke the white nationalists who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday.
He wrote on Twitter on Monday that “America’s leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which runs counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal.”
Frazier is one of the few African-Americans to head a Fortune 500 company.
Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank resigned later in the day, saying his firm “engages in innovation and sports, not politics.” He did not specifically mention Trump or Charlottesville, but said his firm will focus on promoting “unity, diversity and inclusion” through sports.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich followed, writing that while he had urged leaders to condemn “white supremacists and their ilk,” many in Washington “seem more concerned with attacking anyone who disagrees with them.”
Trump was under increasing pressure to call out the white supremacist groups involved in the Charlottesville demonstration.
He lashed out almost immediately at Frazier, saying on Twitter that he will now “have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!”
The president followed up later in the day, tweeting that Merck “is a leader in higher & higher drug prices while at the same time taking jobs out of the US. Bring jobs back & LOWER PRICES!”
With the barbs, Trump appeared to attack an executive who has tried to make drug pricing somewhat more transparent by revealing his firm’s overall drug price changes.
The exchange lit up social media early on Monday, with many people lauding Frazier and blasting the president. Trump eventually made a statement condemning bigotry on Monday afternoon.
Meanwhile, other executives stated their support for Frazier.
Unilever CEO Paul Polman wrote on Twitter: “Thanks @Merck Ken Frazier for strong leadership to stand up for the moral values that made this country what it is.”
Brookings Institution senior fellow William Galston said he could not “think of a parallel example” of any president responding as viciously as Trump to a CEO departing an advisory council.
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