Washington Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein’s argument that businesses “dump” President Donald Trump demonstrated why many Americans think the liberal media is out of touch with reality.
“Now is the time for business leaders to dump Trump — for the good of the country,” the headline of Pearlstein’s proclaimed on the front page of the Post’s business section June 11. The nearly 1,300 word column that criticized business leaders who “remained silent” about President Donald Trump while praising the “brave” ones who “stepped forward to publicly distance themselves from Trump.”
He specifically cited those who “made a noisy exist” from Trump and other defectors from the president.
Pearlstein’s anti-Trump argument ignored positive economic signs and stock market growth since the election. The unemployment rate is at 4.3 percent, the lowest in 16 years, and the stock markets setting many record highs since Trump’s election specifically because of business optimism for Trump’s economic agenda. He also ignored the reasons CEOs might have for sticking with the new president.
“At this point, business executives say they see no purpose in breaking with the new administration,” Pearlstein said, summarizing a statement from The Business Roundtable President Josh Bolten, “When pressed, they say they will support the administration on issues they agree on and oppose it on those they don’t.” But that wasn’t good enough for Pearlstein.
He undermined Bolten by insisting business leaders drop the “studied neutrality” because “these are not normal times, and this is not a normal presidency.” Pearlstein wanted them to wield influence against the administration instead: “business leaders are in a unique position to assure that Citizen Trump makes his exit sooner rather than later.”
