Merck chairman and CEO Kenneth Frazier, who is African-American, has resigned from a presidential advisory panel after Donald Trump’s commented that “many sides” were to blame for the violence Saturday in Charlottesville, Va.
“I feel a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism,” Frazier said today in a statement announcing his resignation from the American Manufacturing Council.
— Merck (@Merck) August 14, 2017
Trump responded quickly to the pharmaceutical company CEO:
Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President's Manufacturing Council,he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2017
White supremacist groups held a “Unite the Right” rally Saturday in Charlottesville, which was met with a counterprotest. A car driven by James Fields Jr. plowed into a group of counterprotesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. Fields has been charged with second-degree murder and several other counts.
Saturday afternoon, Trump spoke from his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., saying, “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides.” He was immediately criticized from many sides for not singling out racist groups, but a neo-Nazi blog, the Daily Stormer, praised him, notes The Washington Post. “Trump comments were good,” the blog posted. “He didn’t attack us.”
Several observers contrasted the speed with which he responded to Frazier with his delay in condemning white supremacists. Among the critics was veteran activist Keith Boykin, a black gay man.
It took Trump 54 minutes to condemn Merck CEO Ken Frazier, but after several days he still has not condemned murdering white supremacists. https://t.co/ps9AVUTTH7
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) August 14, 2017
And Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York:
In delayed statement, .@POTUS didn't call out white supremacists by name. But Trump wasted no time attacking black CEO of #Merck.
— Gregory Meeks (@GregoryMeeks) August 14, 2017
Finally, this morning, Trump condemned neo-Nazis and other white supremacist groups as “repugnant” — a statement many saw as too little, too late.
This statement by Trump is STILL offensive and insuffiencient… I'm DONE! I've BEEN done… #Charlotteville
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) August 14, 2017
Feels too little, too late, too contrived, 48 hours later, too belabored. Trump White House on #Charlottesville
— Maria Hinojosa (@Maria_Hinojosa) August 14, 2017
Several other members of the business group have left over previous actions by Trump, The New York Times reports. “His recent decision to leave the Paris climate accord prompted Elon Musk of Tesla to resign, as did the chief executive of Disney, Bob Iger, and Lloyd Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs,” the paper notes.
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