While a small number of CEOs and tech leaders have warmed to President-elect Trump, to some extent Trump's former enemies now appear to be open to the possibility of him becoming president. I acknowledge this with great reverence.
Top business figures traveled to Mar-a-Lago in Florida to meet with President-elect Trump, who received a friendlier reception than the one he received after his 2016 election victory.
“Everyone wants to be my friend!!!” Trump said Thursday on Truth Social after having dinner with Amazon's Jeff Bezos. Mr. Bezos also owns the Washington Post, and reportedly withdrew the paper's support for Mr. Trump's opponent, Vice President Harris, during the campaign.
At a press conference last week after meeting with Apple's Tim Cook, Trump said the “biggest difference” between his first and second administration was that “this time people want to get along with me. ” he said.
“The first time they were very hostile, but this time they're not so hostile. It's the exact opposite of hostile,” he said.
Recently, Google's Sundar Pichai, Cook, and TikTok CEO Shou Gee Choo all visited President Trump. Mark Zuckerberg, head of Meta, met with President Trump last month. President Trump said on Truth Social on Friday that former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates asked him to go to Mar-a-Lago that night.
“Where are you? When are you coming to Mar-a-Lago, the center of the universe? Bill Gates asked you to come tonight.” he posted.
The meeting could signal a change in how the business community cooperates in Trump's second term, with hugs either knowing they need a seat at the table or fearing retaliation. That's it.
Bruce Mehlman, a former senior official under President George W. Bush, said the difference between American companies' attitudes toward Trump in 2016 and now is “huge.”
He added that CEOs especially want to engage with the administration “when there is a mission and momentum.”
Trump won with 49.8% of the vote. Obtained approximately 77 million votes compared to Harris' 74.4 million. playing cards told Time magazine After his victory, he has a “big” task.
But the nonpartisan Cook Political Report said last week that the election “proved that neither party can claim a mandate or even win a durable and penetrating political majority.” insisted.
A Republican strategist close to President Trump's orbit reflected on how remarkable it was that Silicon Valley bigwigs in particular were traveling to Florida to sit with the president-elect.
“Now they're saying Trump should come and kiss the ring because he stands for deregulation. Some of them are giving Elon a run for his money when it comes to Silicon Valley. Some people are worried that in this crazy situation, Trump has somehow found a way to bend Silicon Valley to him, who will never bow to anyone,'' the source said.・He spoke by quoting the mask.
Democratic lobbyists also said they recognized that their business clients needed to engage with Trump World.
“All of our clients know that they will need to engage with the next administration, so it makes sense that they would want to have high-level engagement with the person who will be in charge for the next four years. ” said a Democratic lobbyist. “Everyone is trying to strategize what makes the most sense for them, and I wouldn't be too surprised to see CEOs and executives traveling to Florida in droves.”
Major companies such as Amazon, Meta, OpenAI, and Perplexity also pledged to contribute $1 million each to President Trump's inaugural fund ahead of his swearing-in in January.
Some in the business community are genuinely excited about working with the Trump administration, which could lead to deregulation and tax cuts.
President Trump's pro-business policies aim to ease regulations in areas such as digital assets and cryptocurrencies, and the Biden administration's crackdown on corporate consolidation could see the administration bring more activity in the mergers and acquisitions space. be.
He also says he wants to roll back climate change regulations and crack down on diversity efforts from the Biden administration. Meanwhile, President Trump's plans for high new tariffs and mass deportations loom, two of the most serious and unpredictable obstacles facing businesses.
Officials note that at major global conferences such as the World Economic Forum in Davos and the Future Investment Initiative (FII), business executives have expressed excitement about Trump's return to the White House.
“For the business community, I think the president has proven that his overall policies are pro-business and beneficial for business. If you go to international conferences like the FII and Davos, you will see major companies pushing for deregulation, tax reform, etc. You'll hear them talk about their hopes,'' said the longtime Democratic donor and donor.
The official added: “They are excited to work with his administration.” I think we saw a very deliberate and thorough preparation this time that wasn't there last time. ”
Some members of Mr. Trump's team have received a particularly warm welcome from U.S. companies, including hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, whom he nominated for Treasury secretary.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon praised Bessent as a good choice. According to CNNAnd Evercore Executive Chairman Roger Altman and Trump's former economic adviser Larry Kudlow supported the role. According to a report in Time.
After recently being named Time's Person of the Year, Trump acknowledged his place at the center of the business world when he rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange and greeted visiting top business leaders. I noticed. And even before he was elected, he had support from some on Wall Street, like hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.
While CEOs flock to Mar-a-Lago, some argue they want to curry favor with Trump now, anticipating that they won't necessarily agree with him over the next four years.
“Look for places where you can work with this administration, because there are probably places where you can't do that and where you need to speak up. So find places early on where you can work with them.” said a Democratic lobbyist.
Brett Samuels contributed to this report.
