With at least five executives leaving his manufacturing council in the wake of President Trump's contentious remarks about white supremacists, the president is ending the group he created in January. Trump said he's also ending his strategy and policy forum, which he formed in December.

"Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!" President Trump said in a tweet.

The move came shortly after two executives — 3M's Inge Thulin and Campbell Soup's Denise Morrison — said on Wednesday that they would be leaving the manufacturing council established by Trump, who has long touted the need to support American manufacturing jobs.

"Racism and murder are unequivocally reprehensible and are not morally equivalent to anything else that happened in Charlottesville", Campbell Soup CEO Denise Morrison stated, referring to Trump's much-criticized response to the white supremacist rally that resulted in the death of a counter-protester over the weekend.

3M President and CEO Inge Thulin said his decision to leave the group followed reflection on the values of "sustainability, diversity and inclusion."

The moves came one day after the resignations of Scott Paul, the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing; Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO; and Thea Lee, the AFL-CIO's deputy chief of staff.

"I'm resigning from the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative because it's the right thing for me to do," Paul wrote in a tweet Tuesday morning.

Trump's decision to wind down the group comes after he struck a defiant tone about the resignations this week.

On Monday, Trump said, "Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President's Manufacturing Council,he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!"

On Tuesday, Trump stated, "For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS!"

When the council was formed back in January, the White House said the the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative would allow the president to meet with "some of the world's most successful and creative business leaders to share their experiences and gain their insights."</s>President and CEO of 3M Inge Thulin is leaving President Donald Trump's manufacturing advisory council, the seventh chief executive to leave.

Thulin announced his resignation in a statement released by 3M on Wednesday afternoon.

"I believe the initiative is no longer an effective vehicle for 3M to advance" its goals, Thulin said, which he says are to achieve a United States which is "stronger, healthier and more prosperous for all people."

Seven of the White House councils' 37 members resigned this week, led by Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier's exit on Monday from the manufacturing council. Frazier left after Trump's waffling responses to the deadly right-wing violence in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend.

"As C.E.O. of Merck and as a matter of personal conscience, I feel a responsibility to take a stand against extremism," Frazier said.

Trump has attacked those who left the councils, tweeting at Frazier almost immediately after the Merck chief resigned and later tweeting, "For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS!"

Read the full statement from Thulin here:

Sustainability, diversity and inclusion are my personal values and also fundamental to the 3M Vision. The past few months have provided me with an opportunity to reflect upon my commitment to these values.

I joined the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative in January to advocate for policies that align with our values and encourage even stronger investment and job growth – in order to make the United States stronger, healthier and more prosperous for all people. After careful consideration, I believe the initiative is no longer an effective vehicle for 3M to advance these goals. As a result, today I am resigning from the Manufacturing Advisory Council.

 At 3M, we will continue to champion an environment that supports sustainability, diversity and inclusion. I am committed to building a company that improves lives in every corner of the world.</s>When President Donald Trump announced the creation of the American Manufacturing Council in January, the White House heralded it as a gathering of “the world’s most successful and creative business leaders” from whom the president would seek guidance on “how best to promote job growth and get Americans back to work again.”

Among the many high-profile industry titans on the council in January were Denise Morrison of Campbell Soup Company, Jeff Immelt of General Electric and Elon Musk of Tesla.

By the middle of August, at least four of the CEOs on Trump’s American Manufacturing Council would announce their decision to resign from the advisory board.

Musk, the first to resign, faced considerable backlash from Tesla customers for his decision to work in conjunction with the beleaguered president, citing what they saw as Trump’s objectionable nature, behavior, rhetoric and proposed policies along the campaign trail.

In June, citing Trump’s decision to withdraw from a global initiative to lower carbon emissions in an effort to stave off the effects of climate change, Musk announced he would no longer be working with the president.

Following a weekend of racially charged violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left one dead and dozens injured, Trump saw a spate of resignations from his advisory board.

That flurry of resignations likely prompted Trump to take to Twitter on Tuesday and lambast the CEOs who have resigned so far as “grandstanders.”

Though the president maintained that he had many other business leaders waiting in the wings to replace those who have resigned so far, no replacement appointments have been named.

Here’s a running list of all the titans of industry withdrawing from Trump’s American Manufacturing Council.

Musk resigned on June 1, citing disagreement with Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord. Trump made no note of the departure.

On Monday, the pharmaceutical giant CEO issued a statement, saying he “[felt] a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism” and called on fellow CEOs to “honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy.”

Trump subsequently lambasted Frazier for his decision on Twitter.

Plank followed Frazier’s lead later that day, issuing a statement that said, “Under Armour engages in innovation and sports, not politics.”

“I ... will continue to focus my efforts on inspiring every person that they can do anything through the power of sport, which promotes unity, diversity and inclusion,” he concluded.

In a blog post published Monday night, Krzanich said he was resigning “to call attention to the serious harm our divided political climate is causing to critical issues.”

In a tweet, Paul announced on Tuesday his resignation from the American Manufacturing Council because it was “the right thing for [him] to do.

Aug. 15, 2017 12:14 p.m.: This story has been updated.</s>"President and CEO of 3M Inge Thulin is leaving President Donald Trump's Manufacturing Advisory Council, the seventh chief executive to leave," CNBC recently reported.

Thulin's statement on his decision (via CNBC):

"Sustainability, diversity and inclusion are my personal values and also fundamental to the 3M Vision. The past few months have provided me with an opportunity to reflect upon my commitment to these values. I joined the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative in January to advocate for policies that align with our values and encourage even stronger investment and job growth – in order to make the United States stronger, healthier and more prosperous for all people. After careful consideration, I believe the initiative is no longer an effective vehicle for 3M to advance these goals. As a result, today I am resigning from the Manufacturing Advisory Council. At 3M, we will continue to champion an environment that supports sustainability, diversity and inclusion. I am committed to building a company that improves lives in every corner of the world."</s>Moments after the CEO of Camden-based Campbell Soup Company resigned from President Donald Trump's Manufacturing Jobs Initiative panel, Trump announced he was 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!""Racism and murder are unequivocally reprehensible and are not morally equivalent to anything else that happened in Charlottestville," a statement from Campbell's CEO Denise Morrison read on Wednesday afternoon."I believe the President should have been - and still needs to be - unambiguous on that point. Following yesterday's remarks from the President, I cannot remain on the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative. I will continue to support all efforts to spur economic growth and advocate for the values that have always made America great."Morrison's resignation was the sixth following Trump's comments on the violence in Virginia.Earlier in the day, the chief executive of 3M announced he was also resigning from the president's panel, saying it is no longer an effective forum for the company to advance its goals.In a statement, Thulin says: "Sustainability, diversity and inclusion are my personal values and also fundamental to the 3M Vision. The past few months have provided me with an opportunity to reflect upon my commitment to these values."Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, announced his resignation Tuesday, a day after a raft of departures by CEOs heading large U.S. corporations.The heads of pharmaceutical giant Merck, the sports gear company Under Armour and the tech firm Intel decided to leave the advisory council. Trump initially criticized the violence on many sides, rather than singling out the white supremacists. The president on Monday later said condemned groups tied to racism.----------</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The CEO of Campbell Soup is resigning from a White House jobs panel over comments about racism made by President Donald Trump.

Campbell CEO Denise Morrison said in a company release Wednesday, “Racism and murder are unequivocally reprehensible and are not morally equivalent to anything else that happened in Charlottesville. I believe the President should have been — and still needs to be — unambiguous on that point.”

Trump suggested in remarks Tuesday that the white supremacists and counter-protesters both blameworthy for violence that erupted this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Morrison said the president’s comments triggered her resignation from the manufacturing jobs panel.

Morrison is the seventh person to resign from two major advisory panels this week following Trump’s comments.</s>WASHINGTON D.C. - The fallout from President Trump's response to the Charlottesville tragedy escalated Wednesday as more prominent CEOs quit advising the White House on economic matters and Trump disbanded his manufacturing and business policy councils.

"Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!," Trump tweeted.

Campbell Soup CEO Denise Morrison and 3M CEO Inge Thulin Wednesday joined a growing list of American chief executives who are leaving the president's manufacturing job council, an advisory group the White House formed this year.

Pressure from the business community has been intensifying this week following Trump's widely criticized response to violence that erupted after a neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend.

On Monday, Merck CEO Ken Frazier became the first major American chief executive to speak out against Trump's response, quitting the manufacturing council as "a matter of personal conscience."

Frazier's decision was followed hours later by other CEOs on the council, including Intel and Under Armour.

►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WZZM 13 app now.

Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.</s>NEW YORK (AP) — 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!”

The CEO of Campbell Soup is resigning from a White House jobs panel over comments about racism made by President Donald Trump.

Campbell CEO Denise Morrison said on Wednesday in a company release: “Racism and murder are unequivocally reprehensible and are not morally equivalent to anything else that happened in Charlottesville. I believe the president should have been — and still needs to be — unambiguous on that point.”

Trump suggested in remarks Tuesday that the white supremacists and counterprotesters were both blameworthy for violence that erupted this weekend in Virginia.

Morrison said the president’s comments triggered her resignation from the manufacturing jobs panel.

Morrison is the seventh person to resign from two major advisory panels this week following Trump’s comments.

The chief executive of Minnesota-based 3M also resigned from the president’s Manufacturing Jobs Initiative panel.</s>President Donald Trump has announced that he will end two White House business councils amid criticism from CEOs over his comments following the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.Today, the CEO of Campbell Soup Company resigned from President Donald Trump's Manufacturing Jobs Initiative panel, saying she believes the president should have been unambiguous after the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia."Racism and murder are unequivocally reprehensible and are not morally equivalent to anything else that happened in Charlottestville," a statement from Campbell's CEO Denise Morrison read on Wednesday afternoon."I believe the President should have been - and still needs to be - unambiguous on that point. Following yesterday's remarks from the President, I cannot remain on the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative. I will continue to support all efforts to spur economic growth and advocate for the values that have always made America great."Morrison's resignation is one of several following President Donald Trump's comments after the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.Moments after Morrison's announcement, Trump tweeted the end of two councils: "Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!"Earlier in the day, the chief executive of 3M announced he was also resigning from the president's panel, saying it is no longer an effective forum for the company to advance its goals.In a statement, Thulin says: "Sustainability, diversity and inclusion are my personal values and also fundamental to the 3M Vision. The past few months have provided me with an opportunity to reflect upon my commitment to these values."Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, announced his resignation Tuesday, a day after a raft of departures by CEOs heading large U.S. corporations.The heads of pharmaceutical giant Merck, the sports gear company Under Armour and the tech firm Intel decided to leave the advisory council. Trump initially criticized the violence on many sides, rather than singling out the white supremacists. The president on Monday later said condemned groups tied to racism.for more stories, photos, and video on President Donald Trump.</s>President and CEO of 3M , Inge Thulin, announced Wednesday he is leaving President Donald Trump's Manufacturing Council.

"I joined the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative in January to advocate for policies that align with our values and encourage even stronger investment and job growth — in order to make the United States stronger, healthier and more prosperous for all people. After careful consideration, I believe the initiative is no longer an effective vehicle for 3M to advance these goals. As a result, today I am resigning from the Manufacturing Advisory Council," Thulin said in a statement posted to 3M's Twitter account.

Thulin's exit makes him the seventh person to leave the council since fallout from Trump's response to the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville Saturday that turned deadly. A man crashed his car into a group of counter-protestors , killing one and injuring 19, at the "Unite the Right" rally protesting the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue.

Trump was scrutinized for not condemning white supremacy early enough and for claiming that there was fault "on both sides."
3M CEO Inge Thulin and Campbell CEO Denise Morrison resign from the American Manufacturing Council in protest of Trump's reaction to the alt-right's actions at Charlottesville, Virginia, bringing the total number of resignations this week to 8.