President Donald Trump abd Uber CEO Travis Kalanick spoke on the phone Thursday. Axios reports that the call didn’t go so well.
Kalanick had called to inform the Trump that he was stepping down from the president’s economic council, the group of business leaders advising the White House on policy. The Uber CEO had been under pressure from employees and customers to distance himself from the president after Trump’s controversial executive order to restrict immigration.
“The implicit assumption that Uber (or I) was somehow endorsing the Administration’s agenda has created a perception-reality gap between who people think we are, and who we actually are,” Kalanick wrote in note to employees.
Kalanick’s resignation did not go over well at the White House, with one Trump source telling Axios: “If you want to cut off your access to the White House, f– you.”
A number of business leaders asked to serve on the council have faced a similar dilemma. They’re under pressure not to associate with Trump, but losing access to the White House could have negative consequences from a business perspective, and could be a missed opportunity to influence policy, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk explained in a statement defending his decision to take part in the council.
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