*The president on Monday attacked an African American CEO for his stand against racism before attacking the white supremacists involved in the violence that took place in Charlottesville.
Merck & Co Inc’s African American Chief Executive Kenneth Frazier resigned from President Trump’s American Manufacturing Council on Monday citing Trump’s limp response to the racial violence in Charlottesville. And the move drew an immediate snarky retort from Trump via Twitter.
White supremacists and neo-Nazis attended a white nationalist rally to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, but violence erupted and counter-protesters were beaten and bloodied, and one female counter-protester and two police officers were killed when a car driven by one of the far right protesters plowed into a crowd.
Trump drew rebuke from both the left and the right for stressing that “many sides” were responsible for the violence, and not calling out the white supremacists directly.
In announcing his resignation, Frazier tweeted: “America’s leaders must honor our fundamental views by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal.”
— Merck (@Merck) August 14, 2017
Trump responded immediately on Twitter, stating “Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President’s Manufacturing Council, he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!”
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
Frazier was part of the president’s manufacturing council, comprised of several business executives, aimed at boosting job growth.
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