President Donald Trump is abandoning his plans to form an infrastructure advisory council.

It’s the third such industry council to be eliminated by the White House this week after the backlash to the president’s comments blaming “both sides” for the recent violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The White House says in a statement Thursday that the infrastructure council, which was still being formed, “will not move forward.”

The administration said Wednesday it was ending two other advisory councils made up primarily of business leaders, the Manufacturing Council and the Strategy & Policy Forum. The decision followed a series of announcements by CEOs that they were quitting the councils following Trump’s remarks.</s>President Donald Trump says he’s ending a pair of White House advisory councils that were staffed by corporate chief executives.

CEOs have been resigning since Saturday, when Trump blamed both sides for the weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and counterprotesters. The resignation accelerated after Trump on Tuesday again blamed “both sides.”

Trump says on Twitter that “rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!”</s>The move comes a day after Trump disbanded two other councils -- the Manufacturing Council and the Strategy & Policy Forum -- after business leaders, CEOs and union leaders began fleeing the groups in response to the President blaming "both sides" for violence in Charlottesville, Virginia . The councils were largely undermined by the departures but Trump tweeted that he was disbanding the panels rather than pressuring business leaders to stay.

Trump's infrastructure council was still being formed but the President decided to end the process, the official said. No reason was given.

"The President has announced the end of the Manufacturing Council and the Strategy & Policy Forum. In addition, the President's Advisory Council on Infrastructure, which was still being formed, will not move forward," the official said.

RELATED: Donald Trump's 7th-grade reaction to the country's CEOs quitting his council Trump was initially defiant when some business leaders indicated they would leave the councils. "For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on," Trump tweeted after a few departures. "JOBS!" When more business leaders left, Trump pulled the plug. "Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both," he wrote. "Thank you all!" Trump established his infrastructure council by signing the "Presidential Executive Order Establishing a Presidential Advisory Council on Infrastructure" on July 19 The council, per the order, would "study the scope and effectiveness of, and make findings and recommendations to the President regarding, federal government funding, support, and delivery of infrastructure projects in several sectors, including surface transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resources, renewable energy generation, electricity transmission, broadband, pipelines, and other such sectors as determined by the Council." Trump promised during the campaign to pass a wholesale infrastructure reform bill as President, but that priority has largely fallen on the back-burner in the White House and on Capitol Hill, where attempts to pass health care and tax reform have been the primary focus.</s>Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon no longer has to weigh the pros and cons of remaining a member of President Donald Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum.

The forum, consisting of some of the nation's top CEOs, and a similar manufacturing council were disbanded Wednesday after several members departed and pressure increased over Trump's comments about last weekend's violence in Charlottesville, Va.

The decision came less than 24 hours after Trump doubled down on his initial statement that there was "blame on both sides" of the Charlottesville violence between white supremacists and counterprotesters.

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On Wednesday afternoon, Trump said in a tweet that he was disbanding both advisory groups "rather than putting pressure" on the members. The Strategic and Policy Forum issued a statement saying that the business leaders had decided to leave the group.

Before the announcement about the disbanding, the chief executive officers of Campbell Soup Co. and 3M joined the ranks of business leaders leaving the manufacturing council. CEOs resigning earlier this week from the forum were Merck & Co.'s Kenneth Frazier, Under Armor Inc.'s Kevin Plank, Intel Corp.'s Brian Kraznich and the ALF-CIO's Richard Trumka; along with Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing.

Disbanding the group ended what Alan Ellstrand, an associate dean and professor in management at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, described as a "nightmare scenario" for company leaders who have been balancing business interests with their corporate consciences as Trump has made some controversial remarks and policy decisions.

"It's a political issue, and most companies hate to be in the middle of a political issue, especially something that's controversial," Ellstrand said. "By being on that committee, I don't think they envisioned when they joined just how much of a political football that would turn out to be."

Wal-Mart's McMillon criticized Trump's initial handling of the Charlottesville violence in a memo to employees earlier this week, saying he felt that the president had "missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together by unequivocally rejecting the appalling actions of white supremacists."

But McMillon -- who oversees a company that has 1.5 million U.S. employees -- also indicated that he would remain on the advisory panel, believing that the Bentonville-based retailer should "stay engaged to try to influence decisions in a positive way and help bring people together."

It was similar to his comments earlier this year, when Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. McMillon said at the time that Wal-Mart was "disappointed by the decision," but he planned to remain on the advisory council because "engagement gives us a chance to do good things."

Siri Terjesen, director of the American University Center for Innovation, said she didn't envy the positions that CEOs like McMillon found themselves in as part of the councils. She believes they were caught between a "rock and a hard place" after the latest controversy as they weighed the pros and cons of remaining on the councils or stepping down.

Frazier was the first CEO to announce his decision to leave the manufacturing council this week after Trump's initial remarks on the violence in Charlottesville.

"CEOs are in an incredibly tenuous position," Terjesen said before the decision to disband the councils became public. "It's no longer just about the quality of the goods and services provided. It's also about the perceived public image."

Bill Vickery, a political strategist and president of Capitol Advisors Group in Little Rock, thought McMillon's response in the internal memo to employees was appropriate, even though it opened the company to some criticism from both sides. Trump supporters lashed out on social media at McMillon for being critical of the president, while others voiced their disappointment in his decision to remain on the advisory council.

"I thought that was a true -- both political and business -- stroke of genius," Vickery said. "They can disagree with the president over a political stance on an issue and yet still want to work to affect a change. To be blunt: That kind of attitude is needed more throughout politics -- not less."

The decision to disband the Strategic and Policy Forum was made after a discussion among prominent CEOs on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg News. The publication reported that the decision to end the group began when Stephen Schwarzman, chief executive officer of Blackstone Group, organized a conference call for forum members.

The business leaders discussed how to proceed and ultimately decided to abandon the group, according to Bloomberg, citing people who had knowledge about the details of the call.

The manufacturing council, which had lost several members in the past two days, also disbanded Wednesday.

"Intolerance, racism and violence have absolutely no place in this country and are an affront to core American values," said a statement released by the forum. "We believe 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."

The advisory forums had largely been for show, according to Vickery, who believes that they were "political tools more than they are genuine agents of change." While they provided business leaders with a seat at the table, there had been few meetings since events held early in Trump's presidency.

So Vickery said he doesn't believe disbanding the group will affect the opportunity of companies like Wal-Mart to weigh in on policy matters at the White House.

"I don't know if any business council is a necessity for the major business leaders of Arkansas to be able to communicate directly into the administration," Vickery said.

Ultimately, ending the groups removes CEOs from being in a difficult position, Ellstrand said, but the experience could affect how business leaders view similar opportunities moving forward.

"I'm sure when they joined the committee they had no idea that something like this was coming," Ellstrand said. "It kind of makes you wonder in the future would they be a little less willing to step up and play this kind of a role because you just don't know how, in the end, it's going to work out."</s>NEW YORK— With corporate chieftains fleeing, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is ending a pair of advisory business councils in the latest fallout over his remarks about the Charlottesville protests.

“Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!” Trump tweeted in a face-saving effort from his home at Trump Tower. He was to depart New York later Wednesday to return to his New Jersey golf club.

CEOs began announcing their resignations after Trump’s first comments about the violence Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and counter-protesters. The resignations accelerated after he re-emphasized his earlier remarks and on Tuesday blamed “both sides” for the series of events that led to the death of a 32-year-old Charlottesville woman.

Standing in the lobby of Trump Tower on Tuesday, Trump acknowledged that there were “some very bad people” among those who gathered to protest Saturday. But he added: “You also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”

Trump’s remarks were widely criticized in Washington and around the country.</s>NEW YORK (AP) — With corporate chieftains fleeing, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is ending a pair of advisory business councils in the latest fallout over his remarks about the Charlottesville protests.

“Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!” Trump tweeted in a face-saving effort from his home at Trump Tower. He was to depart New York later Wednesday to return to his New Jersey golf club.

CEOs began announcing their resignations after Trump’s first comments about the violence Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and counter-protesters. The resignations accelerated after he re-emphasized his earlier remarks and on Tuesday blamed “both sides” for the series of events that led to the death of a 32-year-old Charlottesville woman.

Standing in the lobby of Trump Tower on Tuesday, Trump acknowledged that there were “some very bad people” among those who gathered to protest Saturday. But he added: “You also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”

Trump’s remarks were widely criticized in Washington and around the country.</s>NEW YORK — With corporate chieftains fleeing, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is ending a pair of advisory business councils in the latest fallout over his remarks about the Charlottesville protests.

“Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!” Trump tweeted in a face-saving effort from his home at Trump Tower. He was to depart New York later Wednesday to return to his New Jersey golf club.

CEOs began announcing their resignations after Trump’s first comments about the violence Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and counter-protesters. The resignations accelerated after he re-emphasized his earlier remarks and on Tuesday blamed “both sides” for the series of events that led to the death of a 32-year-old Charlottesville woman.

Standing in the lobby of Trump Tower on Tuesday, Trump acknowledged that there were “some very bad people” among those who gathered to protest Saturday. But he added: “You also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”

Trump’s remarks were widely criticized in Washington and around the country.</s>NEW YORK — With corporate chieftains fleeing, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is ending a pair of advisory business councils in the latest fallout over his remarks about the Charlottesville protests.

“Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!” Trump tweeted in a face-saving effort from his home at Trump Tower. He was to depart New York later Wednesday to return to his New Jersey golf club.

3M Co. CEO Inge Thulin announced his resignation from the manufacturing council Wednesday morning.

CEOs began announcing their resignations after Trump’s first comments about the violence Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and counter-protesters. The resignations accelerated after he re-emphasized his earlier remarks and on Tuesday blamed “both sides” for the series of events that led to the death of a 32-year-old Charlottesville woman.

Standing in the lobby of Trump Tower on Tuesday, Trump acknowledged that there were “some very bad people” among those who gathered to protest Saturday. But he added: “You also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”

Trump’s remarks were widely criticized in Washington and around the country.</s>NEW YORK (AP) — With corporate chieftains fleeing, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is ending a pair of advisory business councils in the latest fallout over his remarks about the Charlottesville protests.

“Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!” Trump tweeted in a face-saving effort from his home at Trump Tower. He was to depart New York later Wednesday to return to his New Jersey golf club.

CEOs began announcing their resignations after Trump’s first comments about the violence Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and counter-protesters. The resignations accelerated after he re-emphasized his earlier remarks and on Tuesday blamed “both sides” for the series of events that led to the death of a 32-year-old Charlottesville woman.

Standing in the lobby of Trump Tower on Tuesday, Trump acknowledged that there were “some very bad people” among those who gathered to protest Saturday. But he added: “You also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”

Trump’s remarks were widely criticized in Washington and around the country.</s>NEW YORK (AP) – With corporate chieftains fleeing, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is ending a pair of advisory business councils in the latest fallout over his remarks about the Charlottesville protests.

"Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!" Trump tweeted in a face-saving effort from his home at Trump Tower. He was to depart New York later Wednesday to return to his New Jersey golf club.

CEOs began announcing their resignations after Trump's first comments about the violence Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and counter-protesters. The resignations accelerated after he re-emphasized his earlier remarks and on Tuesday blamed "both sides" for the series of events that led to the death of a 32-year-old Charlottesville woman.

Standing in the lobby of Trump Tower on Tuesday, Trump acknowledged that there were "some very bad people" among those who gathered to protest Saturday. But he added: "You also had people that were very fine people, on both sides."

Trump's remarks were widely criticized in Washington and around the country.

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President Donald Trump has ended his planned Presidential Advisory Council on Infrastructure after only a month, coming a day after two other advisory councils, the Strategic and Policy Forum and the American Manufacturing Council, were scrapped. No reason was given.