For a few brief, shining moments, the dream of Milton Friedman must have seemed closer to reality in corporate America than ever before. Donald Trump had been reelected president, and the tax cuts and regulatory loosening he’d promised were on the horizon. Whatever leverage ordinary workers had managed to scrape together in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic had mostly been quashed, and surely the incoming administration would take care of what remained. Gone, too, were the days when executives would have to evince corporate disapproval of racism or sexism or homophobia if they didn’t feel like it, as many of them had been goaded into doing during #MeToo or the Black Lives Matter movement. They could get out of talking about politics—which is not quite the same as getting out of politics, period—and get back to maximizing shareholder value however they pleased..

Bloomberg Businessweek Senior Reporter Amanda Mull discusses how corporations have largely avoided criticizing Trump, with some leaders only speaking out after extreme circumstances, such as the killing of a Minnesota man by CBP agents, and even then their statements have been muted and avoided direct condemnation.

For a few brief, shining moments, the dream of Milton Friedman must have seemed closer to reality in corporate America than ever before. Donald Trump had been reelected president, and the tax cuts and regulatory loosening he&rsquo;d promised were on the horizon. Whatever leverage ordinary workers had managed to scrape together in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic had mostly been quashed, and surely the incoming administration would take care of what remained. Gone, too, were the days when executives would have to evince corporate disapproval of racism or sexism or homophobia if they didn&rsquo;t feel like it, as many of them had been goaded into doing during <a href="#MeToo" data-auto-tag="#" data-tag-id="1001" data-destination="#MeToo">#MeToo</a> or the Black Lives Matter movement. They could get out of talking about politics&mdash;which is not quite the same as getting out of politics, period&mdash;and get back to maximizing shareholder value however they pleased..
Bloomberg Businessweek Senior Reporter Amanda Mull discusses how corporations have largely avoided criticizing Trump, with some leaders only speaking out after extreme circumstances, such as the killing of a Minnesota man by CBP agents, and even then their statements have been muted and avoided direct condemnation.

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Listen for reporting from the magazine that helps global leaders stay ahead. Hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec bring you insight on the people, companies and trends shaping today's complex economy.&nbsp; You can watch and listen to Businessweek LIVE on YouTube, weekdays from 2PM to 5PM ET: <a href="http://bit.ly/3vTiACF">http://bit.ly/3vTiACF</a>.&nbsp;

Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec bring together the latest news from the world of business and finance and the interesting stories of global technology, politics, economics and more by harnessing the power of Bloomberg Businessweek reporters and editors.

Bloomberg Businessweek

Trump Has Called Bluff on the Era of Good Corporate Citizen

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3bb4a1c1-ffb0-4a9a-8c77-b3f601749257/transcript