MSD CEO sparks exodus from Trump’s manufacturing council over Charlottesville violence
pharmafile | August 15, 2017 | News story | Manufacturing and Production | MSD, Merck, Prsident's American Manufacturing Council, charlottesville, pharma, pharmaceuticals
In a shock move, MSD Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Frazier (pictured) has announced that he is to resign from Donald Trump’s American Manufacturing Council in the wake of the violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, and more importantly the President’s dubious failure to adequately condemn them.
The violence broke out at the ‘Unite the right’ rally, as white supremacist and neo-nazi groups clashed with anti-fascist counter-protestors. A state of emergency was called, and the conflict culminated as a right-wing protestor rammed his car into a crowd of counter-protestors, leading to the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer and leaving nineteen others injured.
In his statements on the events afterward, President Trump drew heavy fire from Republicans and Democrats alike for failing to directly condemn the white supremacist groups involved in the violence – something which has landed him in hot water in the past – instead saying that “many sides” were to blame.
On this basis, Frazier released a statement on his decision:
“I am resigning from the President’s American Manufacturing Council. Our country’s strength stems from its diversity and the contributions made by men and women of different faiths, races, sexual orientations and political beliefs. America’s leaders must honour our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal. As CEO of Merck and as a matter of personal conscience, I feel a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism.”
In typical fashion, not even an hour had passed before Trump made an attempt to point-score and distract from his own scandal with a personal attack on Frazier via Twitter: “Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President’s Manufacturing Council, he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!”
Frazier is not the first to resign from the President’s advisory councils due to his actions. Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger were forced to withdraw from the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum in June following Trump’s decision to pull the US from the Paris climate accord.
Spurred by Frazier’s bold move, a further two executive members of the council also announced their resignation: Kevin Plank, CEO of sportswear firm Under Armour, and Brain Krzanich, CEO of Intel, who said in a statement: “I resigned to call attention to the serious harm our divided political climate is causing to critical issues, including the serious need to address the decline of American manufacturing. Politics and political agendas have sidelined the important mission of rebuilding America’s manufacturing base.”
He continued: “My request – my plea – to everyone involved in our political system is this: set scoring political points aside and focus on what is best for the nation as a whole. The current environment must change, or else our nation will become a shadow of what it once was and what it still can and should be.”
Bowing to public pressure, President Trump clarified his statements two days later, specifically calling out the extremist groups involved: “Racism is evil. And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including KKK, Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, and other hate groups are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans. Those who spread violence in the name of bigotry strike at the very core of America.”
Matt Fellows
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