Donald Trump is a man who just wants to make America great again.
He’s also a man who wants to make justice obstructed again.
One of the key pillars of Trump’s agenda was this idea that he was going to usher in a kind of renaissance for American businesses with a combination of tax cuts and reduced regulations.
Additionally, he would revitalize the long-dead manufacturing industry by turning the screws on China, who he and Peter Navarro imagined was at least partly responsible for the demise of the American working class.
Fast forward five months (give or take) and none of that has happened. Yes, stocks are higher but the trades tied to Trump’s agenda have all been faded aggressively and in an irony of ironies, it’s tech companies leading the charge, rather than the old-world industries that the President was supposed to #MAGA-nify.
As an added bonus, Trump’s absurdly irresponsible actions (e.g. the travel ban and the repudiation of the Paris Accord) have drawn near universal condemnation from the business community.
Well in the latest embarrassment for a President whose only saving grace is that he was “tired of winning anyway, 50% of the CEOs, executives, and government officials surveyed at the annual Yale CEO Summit gave Trump an “F” for his first 130 days in office.
Here’s more from CNN Money:
The survey, released earlier this week, found that another 21% give Trump’s performance a “D” so far. Just 1% of the 125 leaders polled awarded the billionaire an “A.”
The overarching message from CEOs is: “Stop the random 3 a.m. tweets and stop the needless brushfires diverting from the agenda,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the Yale School of Management professor who led the summit.
Sonnenfeld noted that 80% of those surveyed are CEOs, including Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman and IBM boss Ginni Rometty, who sit on Trump’s advisory council and Merck CEO Ken Frazier, a member of the president’s manufacturing initiative. (Individual responses by each CEO were not released.)
And for those who want to pretend like this isn’t a fair representation, allow Sonnenfeld to clear things up in the most direct manner possible:
This was not a granola-eating crowd of Democrat entrepreneurs. It’s a cross-section of the business community, including some who are quite pro-Trump.
Any questions?
……. ONLY 50% ? I am shocked at the low number.
– Murphy
The other 50% agreed but were worried that their identities might get leaked.
All these CEOs should stick to business and stop commenting on politics, which they plainly know nothing about.
better yet, how ’bout the business man sticking with business and stay out of politics, which plainly he knows nothing about.
– Murphy
“(Individual responses by each CEO were not released.)” Absolutely, if you want them to stay in business during the Trump disadmiistration.
At the risk of having another comment deleted here; no one can deny the government is bloated with inept and incompetent people that are not easily removed internally. It takes someone from outside the government who is not prostituted to political cronies or indebted to the system to see the problems and fix them. Where are the Ayn Rand heroes when we need them?
Dear Dr., I am in my 7th decade and in all my years of voting and paying attention to government and who’s at the helm, there have been a few that were not my choice but I was never compelled to carry a sign and protest like hell…..until NOW. One thing I can promise without hesitation as a result of the chicken-shits in office right now, I will never vote for any of these Republicans – shame on all of them for letting this mess continue and most of all for speaking in support of this man just to protect their own asses with no regard for this Country.
– Murphy
Yes, who better to introduce efficiencies to a particular type of organization than somebody who has absolutely no experience whatsoever working in let alone running that type of organization?
I mean, it makes complete sense once you put it that way. I can’t see why I didn’t understand this before.
Hi, Sixth Estate,
Not ignoring your comments, and sorry for the late reply. Organizations need to be raided frequently to separate the wheat from the chaff. This is true of both industry and government and the process is similar. Trump honed his bullshit detector on his tv show, and we can only hope he gets it right or is impeached quickly. The government needs it’s house cleaned fast in light of all the global problems we face….
Hi, Murphy
In July, I will turn 77, and I feel like you, but I would like to add that both parties, especially the Dems, need to get a grip and internalize the fact that they are destroying the last vestiges of representative democracy in America with their political gangsterism and manipulating public opinion and childish hero worship of the likes of Trump, Pelosi, Hillary, etc. As we are collectively too stupid and/or uneducated to successfully create a participatory democracy, we are screwed and may descend into another civil war.
why did you include Trump with the Dems Hero worship sentence??!? I voted Hillary in the last go round as the lesser of the evil choices – and liked Bernie’s attitude and ideas the best BUT knew he had no chance as an Independent and did not want to lower the count for Hillary and end up with Assface. Well, it was a good idea at the time. Plus, I will admit, even at my age, he is just too old and a VP would most likely inherit the office during his term, for one reason or another.
I really would like to just abolish the “party” system in general. Every man for himself so to speak. And just for the record, I disagree with your description of the Democrat party – I lay that description more so at the feet of the Republicans. Oh and just one more thing….. ♪ HAPPY BIRTHDAY ♫
-Murphy
Hi, again, Murphy
I included Trump in the sentence, because I did not want to imply that the Republicans were not just as stupid. It is time for another Teddy R. and the “Bullmoose” party. I did not for vote for either Hillary or the Donald, because both were sadly unqualified for the office. Trump is learning the ropes and how to get things done (not by orders, but by creating enthusiastic cooperation of the folks on the front lines. However, after five months and little progress, I would have to say, “Your fired! ( if I had any say, that is),,,,,,Thanks for the birthday wishes!
Doc, Trump has not learned one damned thing – nothing. He never will. He will always be the pathetic whiny con that he has been forever. His entire life history, a lying cheating corrupt monster who thinks his bank account gives him all the power to do as he pleases and he actually believes just what he said his entire campaign — only he can save us, only he knows how to fix it, only he knows all the right people and the big words (I’ll wait while you stop laughing…..). He is not even qualified to own the family business and I am not so sure those punk boys of his are either. Their jolly is to go on an arranged hunt and slaughter beautiful lions and elephants so they can mount their heads in their homes and cut off the tail for …. for… for a picture? Ivanka is cute but clueless. Her Daddy preaches about buy American, make only in America, and rants at his podium about penalizing corporations who continue to outsource overseas, while both him and her have everything they sell made in China and other places outside US. He imports all his steel for his hi-rise bldgs from China, while using immigrant labor! The only thing Ivanka can really speak with knowledge about working mothers is how much do you pay your nanny! Bunch of worthless phonies.
Hillary would certainly walk into the Oval office on day one and know exactly what to do and how to do it. She has spent her entire adult life in the atmosphere of government. She has volumes of expertise. People are too wrapped up in a bunch of gossip and untruths about Benghazi and emails and charities and even murder and child sex crimes and rather than do one day of research they hear opponents and alt-rights and decide it must be true. Just stupid. And if it was not for the Electoral College crap, she would be President.
Imagine how I would feel if I really liked her – but like I said, I voted for her as the lesser of two evils. Her problem is she would have been a better president than she was a candidate and she is just one of those people that other people just don’t like. I only have a few things on my bucket list, one was Texas to legalize marijuana and to have a female as president. Crap. I got close to both this year! haha!
– Murphy
But the emails… and stuff…
Texas Pot! Hahaha! I presume you are familiar with Terry Southern’s novel, ‘Red Dirt Marijuana and other tastes’
http://www.vol1brooklyn.com/2011/06/23/excerpting-terry-southerns-red-dirt-marijuana-and-other-tales/
He was born SW of Dallas in a small town – one of the best to come from Texas. You will enjoy this 1967 excerpt. In the late 60’s, I heard this was based on a true story! hahaha!! (he was also connected to Easy Rider and so many more!)
– Murphy
Thanks for the link, Murphy! Boy that took me back to the good old days when I used to ride my Harley Model 61 out of Brownsville and over the bridge into Matamoros, where I would carouse around Boy’s Town until they escorted me back over the Rio Grand into the USA (with an empty wallet……)
Hey Doc, good for you! Sounds like you were a bit connected to Easy Rider as well. Life is short.
By the time that was published I was already married with one child. My carousing days were over! 🙂
-Murphy
Dr.
Being an actor on a reality TV show is good training for public service?
Well, I guess I heard it here first.
Still I approve of your broader point. Let’s select a number of random career politicians and career bureaucrats and send them over to be CEOs of major corporations for five years to shape things up. This is what you mean, yes? I mean, I agree they have no private sector experience whatsoever, but I’m sure as outsiders they’ll be able to detect problems and inefficiencies quicker than anybody else.