American CEOs Mildly Push Back on Trump's Business Policies

Speaking before a darkened ballroom on Thursday, U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Suzanne Clark called on executives to be "fearless" in defense of free markets over government control and said the U.S. must remain "open to the world, open to the global exchange of talent and goods and ideas and innovation." The comments by the head of the most powerful U.S. business lobby group could be seen as mild pushback against President Donald Trump, who has waded into business mechanics like no other U.S. president. He has directed the U.S. to take stakes in tech companies, asserted control of corporate equity structures, imposed tariffs and advanced immigration policies opposed by the Chamber. This month, several CEOs, including Exxon ​Mobil's Darren Woods and JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, also have offered temperate critiques of certain Trump agenda items. But they limited their remarks to sectors where they have interests — Venezuela's oil ‍and the ⁠U.S. Federal Reserve, while Clark did not mention Trump by name or his policies during the speech.