Christine Anderson, a spokeswoman for Blackstone, declined to comment. A person familiar with the forum said scheduling has been a problem, and the goal is to meet in the fall. Schwarzman and a handful of other CEOs from the group participated in discussions last month between top U.S. and Chinese economic officials and executives. The talks broke up, with the two superpowers unable to produce a joint statement.
Liveris, an outspoken supporter of the president, said after the February manufacturing meeting the executives would come back in two months with solutions ranging from rebuilding infrastructure to regulatory reform.
Rachelle Schikorra, a Dow spokeswoman, said in an email the group had a “very busy and productive” second quarter. Some members contributed “subject matter experts” and engaged in “information exchanges” before Trump signed an executive order June 15 to expand apprenticeship programs, which the group discussed. She directed questions about another meeting to the White House, which hasn’t made any public announcements recently about either group.
Listening To CEOs
“We spent the first few months of the administration meeting with hundreds of CEOs to listen and are now putting those learnings into action,” a White House official said. “The roundtables and council meetings have directly impacted the administration’s policies in areas like workforce development, deregulation and tax reform. We will continue to meet with and engage with CEOs across all relevant policies.”
A lot has happened since April to sour the president’s relationship with industry chieftains. Namely, Trump announced June 1 that he would withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate, prompting criticism across corporate America. In addition to the departures of Musk and Iger from the strategy and policy forum, other members of the groups also disagreed.
“Collaboration is a good thing between nations,” JPMorgan CEO Dimon told Bloomberg Television. “Obviously the Trump administration felt differently about that, but we wish they’d stayed in.”
General Electric Co.’s then-CEO Immelt tweeted he was “disappointed” with the decision, adding “climate change is real” and the onus now falls on industry to lead.
Executives who aren’t in the groups also expressed concern, with Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s Lloyd Blankfein taking to Twitter for the first time to deride the move.
Meanwhile, FedEx Corp. CEO Fred Smith -- who also isn’t in either group -- is spearheading creation of an alternative tax-overhaul plan amid divisions in Washington over proposals the administration and Congress have offered.