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Pool photo by Olivier Douliery
President Trump’s main council of top corporate leaders appeared on the verge of disbanding on Wednesday, said people briefed on the matter, following controversial remarks from Mr. Trump on Tuesday when he equated white nationalist hate groups with the protesters opposing them.
Late Wednesday morning, Stephen A. Schwarzman, the chief executive of the Blackstone Group and one of Mr. Trump’s closest confidants in the business community, organized a conference call for members of the president’s Strategic and Policy Forum.
On the call, the chief executives of some of the largest companies in the country were debating how to proceed.
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The Business Leaders on (and Off) Trump Councils
Several executives have resigned from presidential advisory councils as they have opposed stances taken by President Trump.
One option under serious consideration was disbanding the forum altogether.
If the forum does survive, several C.E.O.s were expected to resign from it.
The council includes Laurence D. Fink of BlackRock, Ginni Rometty of IBM, Rich Lesser of the Boston Consulting Group and Toby Cosgrove of the Cleveland Clinic.
Later this afternoon, executives from the president’s manufacturing council are expected to have a similar call.
