Donald J. Trump is a threat to the business community
1 November 2024
As business owners and CEOs, we have a responsibility to speak out against those whose unethical behavior is a threat to our profession. On some issues, such as taxes, regulations and the proper role of government, reasonable minds can differ. However, on the issues below, Donald J. Trump has consistently demonstrated behavior that undermines our ability to do business and renders him unacceptable as a candidate for President:
1. Trump does not have the personal integrity required for a President. This is not a close call. Retired Adm. William McRaven, the former commander who oversaw the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal:
The White House is the home of American leadership, where Republican leaders like Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush resided. While each of these leaders had his shortcomings and foibles, none of them consistently violated every principle of good leadership like Donald Trump does. Mr. Trump has no self-control. He lashes out at immigrants, religious groups and military heroes. He lies with reckless abandon. In August, in what was outlandish even by Mr. Trump’s standards, he reposted on Truth Social a picture of Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton above a crude sexual joke. Just last week he was regaling a crowd about Arnold Palmer’s anatomy. These are things a disturbed 15-year-old boy would do, not the commander in chief, not the man who holds the nuclear codes, not the leader of the free world.
We cannot do business in a country ruled by a deranged, emotionally crippled individual.
2. Trump does not believe in the rule of law. Donald Trump believes he is above the law, that he can do whatever he wants without recourse. However, our businesses can only be successful knowing that contractual agreements are binding on all parties, that the judicial system will make reasonable determinations and that politics will not affect these determinations. We can anticipate that Trump will continue to threaten and pressure judges on cases of concern to him, which undermines our ability to do business.
In addition:
Trump tried to overthrow an election in which he lost, causing a riot on 6 January 2021 in the Capital.
Trump has been convicted of 34 counts of fraud and be found guilty of sexual assault and defamation. He has numerous indictments with clear evidence that he committed the offenses. We need a President who attempts to be honest most of the time.
3. Trump wants to be a dictator. John Kelly, Donald’s longest-serving Chief of Staff, revealed that Trump often praised Hitler, saying that Hitler "did some good things" and he wanted his generals to be as loyal as Hitler's. Kelly said that Donald "fit the definition of a fascist." In addition, Trump recently held a fascist hate rally at Madison Square Garden. Most of us in business are vehemently opposed to a fascist government.
4. Trump has used and will continue to use government to promote his own personal wealth, not for the best interests of the nation. This makes it impossible for us to conduct business safely with the government or with businesses that curry favor with Trump. In addition, Trump has severe conflicts of interest, as does Elon Musk and they simply do not care.
5. Donald Trump’s mental and emotional state is so erratic that he is incapable of providing governmental stability. Every day provides new chaos, which is incompatible with proper business planning.
6. Donald Trump is a major promoter of hate, which hurts our employees, customers and business partners.
7. Donald Trump is a major national security risk.
He stole confidential records and stored them recklessness at Mar-a-Lago.
He made 7 secret calls to Putin since leaving office.
He believes American employees must be loyal to him, not the Constitution.
8. Donald Trump is planning to use his governmental powers against anyone who disagrees with him. This means that we can never disagree with his policies for fear of personal attacks or prosecution. Incredibly, he recently promoted violence against former Congressional leader Liz Cheney:
Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, okay? Let’s see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face.” Washington Post
Trump promoted hate and continues to do so, part of the 101 worst things about Trump’s presidency.
Integrity is a virtue, which means it may require short term or even long term sacrifices. However, we as business leaders must call out Donald Trump as unacceptable to our businesses and to the country as a whole, to maintain our own personal integrity.
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