General Motors released a statement to their employees in the wake of President Donald Trump's disbanding of his Strategic and Policy Forum.
With corporate chieftains fleeing, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is ending a pair of advisory business councils in the latest fallout over his remarks about the Charlottesville protests.
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GM's Mary Barra released the following statement:
"The President and members of the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum have disbanded the forum. General Motors is about unity and inclusion and so am I. Recent events, particularly those in Charlottesville, Virginia, and its aftermath, require that we come together as a country and reinforce values and ideals that unite us - tolerance, inclusion and diversity – and speak against those which divide us – racism, bigotry and any politics based on ethnicity.
I am committed to our employees, customers, and shareholders, and I am very proud of our work in support of American manufacturing -- from designing, manufacturing and selling outstanding trucks, crossovers and cars in the U.S. to advancing safer, simpler and sustainable transportation solutions for the future."
CEOs began announcing their resignations after Trump's first comments about the violence Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and counter-protesters. The resignations accelerated after he re-emphasized his earlier remarks and on Tuesday blamed "both sides" for the series of events that led to the death of a 32-year-old Charlottesville woman.
"Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!" Trump tweeted in a face-saving effort from his home at Trump Tower. He was to depart New York later Wednesday to return to his New Jersey golf club.
Standing in the lobby of Trump Tower on Tuesday, Trump acknowledged that there were "some very bad people" among those who gathered to protest Saturday. But he added: "You also had people that were very fine people, on both sides."
Trump's remarks were widely criticized in Washington and around the country.
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