CEOs met with former President Donald Trump in Washington and were reportedly not impressed with his performance. Trump spoke with top business leaders about cutting the corporate tax rate, but attendees found him to be “remarkably meandering” and lacking in a clear explanation of his policy proposals. Some CEOs who were initially leaning toward supporting Trump left the meeting feeling less inclined to do so. The energy in the meeting was described as subdued, and CEOs walked away feeling disheartened and questioning Trump’s ability to articulate a coherent message.
During the meeting, Trump expressed his desire to reduce the corporate tax rate from 21% to 20%. When asked why he chose 20%, Trump reportedly replied, “Well, it’s a round number,” leaving some CEOs shaking their heads at the oversimplification of such a significant decision. Despite this, Steven Cheung, communications director for the Trump 2024 campaign, claimed that Trump was warmly received by everyone in the room and commended for his proposals on deregulation and tax cuts. However, these statements seem to contradict the reported sentiments of the CEOs in attendance.
Andrew Ross Sorkin, who spoke with business leaders at the meeting, highlighted the concerns raised by attendees. CEOs felt that Trump was all over the map and struggled to maintain a coherent thought during the meeting. Some even questioned his mental fitness, noting that his speech lacked a clear through line and jumped from one topic to another without a clear direction. This lack of focus left CEOs feeling uncertain about Trump’s ability to effectively lead on economic policies.
The meeting with Trump left many CEOs feeling conflicted. Some had initially been supportive of Trump but were taken aback by his disorganized and meandering speech. One CEO noted that Trump failed to articulate how he planned to achieve his policy objectives, further adding to the confusion and uncertainty felt by attendees. Trump’s lack of clarity and coherence during the meeting led to doubts about his ability to effectively lead on economic issues, causing some CEOs to walk away feeling less inclined to support him in the future.
Overall, the meeting between CEOs and former President Donald Trump in Washington did not go as expected. Trump’s performance was characterized as meandering and lacking in clear, coherent communication, leaving many CEOs feeling disheartened and questioning his ability to lead on economic policies. Despite Trump’s push to lower the corporate tax rate and other policy proposals, attendees found his speech to be unfocused and lacking a clear through line. As a result, some CEOs who were initially in support of Trump left the meeting feeling less inclined to back him in the future, raising doubts about his ability to effectively lead in the economic sphere.
