CEOs of Intel, Under Armour leave Trump panel
Intel, Under Armour executives resign over violence at far-right rally
New York, Aug. 15: The chief executives of Intel and Under Armour resigned on Tuesday from a White House advisory panel on manufacturing after President Donald Trump’s initial failure to explicitly condemn a white supremacist rally.
This comes after the CEO of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical firms, Merck, resigned from the panel.
The resignations came as criticism grew over Mr Trump’s slow response to the weekend demonstration which ended in bloodshed when a suspected Nazi sympathiser plowed his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters, killing one and wounding 19.
Mr Trump had initially blamed “many sides” for Saturday’s violence, sparking a welter of criticism and prompting Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, a prominent AfricanAmerican businessman, to quit the presidential advisory panel.
“America’s leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all men are created equal,” Mr Frazier had tweeted.
Several hours after Mr Frazier resigned, Under Armour founder and chief executive Kevin Plank also announced he would step down from the panel. “Under Armour engages in innovation and sports, not politics,” he said in a subtly-worded statement
“I love our country and our company and will continue to focus my efforts on inspiring every person that they can do anything through the power of sport, which promotes unity, diversity and inclusion.”
Earlier this year, Mr Plank had publicly expressed support for Mr Trump in comments which sparked a backlash.
Intel chief Brian Krzanich also announced his departure from the panel in a blunt statement which said he wanted to “call attention to the serious harm our divided political climate is causing to critical issues.”
“Politics and political agendas have sidelined the important mission of rebuilding America’s manufacturing base,” he said in a statement which underlined his “abhorrence” over the violence in Charlottesville.
“I resigned because I want to make progress, while many in Washington seem more concerned with attacking anyone who disagrees with them.
“We should honour — not attack — those who have stood up for equality and other cherished American values. I hope this will change, and I remain willing to serve when it does.”
Shortly after Mr Frazier’s resignation, Mr Trump had, in a statement, singled out hate groups, including KKK. — AFP