He repeated that position as Wolf Blitzer asked three times whether Trump stands by his past tweets labeling global warming a hoax. Ultimately, Cohn said, “you’re going to actually have to ask him.”
GE’s Jeffrey Immelt, responding to Trump’s decision on the president’s favorite social-media forum, was more direct. “Climate change is real,” he tweeted. “Industry must now lead and not depend on government.”
BlackRock Inc. Chief Executive Officer Laurence D. Fink said he will remain a member of the White House’s CEO forum, while disagreeing with the withdrawal plan.
“I do not agree with all of the President’s policies and decisions, including today’s announcement to exit the U.S. from the Paris Agreement which I believe is a critical step forward in addressing climate change,” Fink said in an emailed statement Thursday. “I will continue on the CEO forum as long as I believe there is the potential to have a positive impact."
Dow CEO Andrew Liveris, meanwhile, stopped short of walking away from his role on the panel Musk and Iger abandoned. While Liveris wrote in an email that he was disappointed with Trump’s decision, he said he understands “there are always many potential solutions to challenges and are eager to work toward alternative solutions.”
Musk Response
Musk said he would follow through on his earlier pledge to quit the council should Trump abandon Paris. “Climate change is real,” he tweeted. “Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.”
Disney’s Iger, who in March had vowed to stay on the council to maintain “a voice in the room” with the president, changed his mind Thursday.
“Protecting our planet and driving economic growth are critical to our future, and they aren’t mutually exclusive,” he said in a statement. “I deeply disagree with the decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and, as a matter of principle, I’ve resigned from the President’s advisory council.”
Even Twitter Inc.’s leader felt the need to respond. “This is an incredibly shortsighted move backwards by the federal government,” tweeted CEO Jack Dorsey. “We’re all on this planet together and we need to work together.”