Mary Barra No Longer Working With Trump as Advisory Council Ends
Announcement comes amid president's controversial statements
General Motors CEO Mary Barra will no longer serve on an economic advisory council to President Donald Trump now that the group has disbanded.
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The breakup, announced by business leaders in a statement today, comes during a time of even more controversy than usual for the president. After a white nationalist rally turned deadly in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend, Trump blamed counterprotesters for some of the violence.
"General Motors is about unity and inclusion and so am I," Barra said in a statement, reportsAutomotive News. "Recent events, particularly those in Charlottesville, Va., and its aftermath, require that we come together as a country and reinforce values and ideas that unite us -- tolerance, inclusion and diversity -- and speak against those who divide us -- racism, bigotry and any politics based on ethnicity."
Meanwhile, the economic group said: "The debate over forum participation has become a distraction from our well-intentioned and sincere desire to aid vital policy discussions on how to improve the lives of everyday Americans."
Over time, a number of business leaders have left Trump's circle of advisors. Tesla CEO Elon Musk took off in June following Trump's decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord.
In a recent tweet, Trump suggests he's the one who broke up his economic forum and the Manufacturing Council. "Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!"
Back in April, Barra shut down rumors that she would join the Trump Administration, possibly as the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "I am 150 percent committed to General Motors," Barra said at the time, adding that this is the most exciting time she has seen for GM in her 37 years with the automaker.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)
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