It does not often happen that a country's economy goes to trial against its own government. This time, however, America's companies did not want to duck: 143 associations and companies have put in the process of the planned expulsion of young migrants against Donald Trump. Formally, the 62-page document they filed with the US Supreme Court at the end of last week is merely an opinion in favor of the plaintiffs. In fact, however, it is a declaration of war on the US President, who wants to take around 800,000 children of illegal immigrants, the so-called dreamers, the right to stay in the country in which they grew up.
If the government implements its plan, "it will seriously harm US companies, all workers and the economy as a whole," the signatories warn. These include tech greats like Amazon, Facebook and Google, as well as Hilton, Ben & Jerry's, HP, Levi's, Starbucks and the auditors Ernst & Young. The US Chamber of Commerce, which traditionally supports the Republican Party, has joined the letter. "Businesses will lose valued employees, employees will lose employers and associates, our gross domestic product will shrink to $ 460.3 billion and tax revenues will be around $ 90 billion lower over the next decade," the text says.
A name is missing on the list: Apple. The boss of the iPhone manufacturer has gone one step further. Tim Cook has filed his own motion in court, openly declaring his support for Barack Obama's reform bill. The Dreamer, who once immigrated to America as children with their parents, "would have done everything right," writes Cook. "They are as American as each of us."
"Tim Cook calls Donald Trump directly"
Trump, who denies his re-election campaign with anti-immigrant slogans and racist failures, does not like that. Ironically, Cook - his favorite CEO, whom the president has personally declared to be a "great manager" - because he talks to him. "Tim Cook calls Donald Trump directly," Trump praised admiringly.
In fact, the Apple boss who supported Hillary Clinton in 2006 shows no fears of contact with the White House incumbent.
He has succeeded in what other executives dream of: establishing a direct connection to Trump without, however, scandalizing their own liberal workforce or customers. Times criticized, sometimes praises Cook's policy.
But he always cleverly works in the background to get the best out of his company. It was he who convinced Trump to at least spare the industry's Christmas business of punitive tariffs against China.
It is not unusual for the US President to welcome White House business leaders; on the contrary, Trump leads an open house. The incumbent enjoys surrounding himself with top managers. "I'm here to help you guys," he explained at the tech summit with the previously vilified Silicon Valley greats shortly after his election. But of course this is a quid-pro-quo business that is supposed to pay for itself. So could Foxconn boss Terry Gou his plan for a ten-billion-dollar factory in the election-tactically so important Swingstate Wisconsin 2017 in the White House imagine - that the investment project has since largely evaporated, is no longer Trumps thing.
Proximity to the president can be useful to Cook & Co, but it's a balancing act. When Trump after the deployment of the neo-Nazis in the university town Charlottesville in August 2017 showed his sympathy for the far-right, the managers turned away from him in droves. Under-Armor boss Kevin Plank said goodbye to the president's advisory committees, as did the boss of pharmaceutical giant Merck, Kenneth Frazier, who openly opposed "hatred, bigotry, and racism."
Trump retaliated the pharmaceutical representative within minutes with the angry Twitter call to lower the "ABZOCK PRICES FOR DRUGS".
Do not get caught between the fronts
The man in the White House takes personal political and political personal. He runs a feud against Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who owns the hated Washington Post. He has Google's leadership on the Kieker because the search engine allegedly favored the "fraudulent Hillary" (Clinton). "@sundarpichai from Google was in the Oval Office and went out of his way to explain how much he likes me and what a great job the government is doing," Trump etched in August following a visit by Google boss Sundar Pichai.
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Google boss Sundar Pichai: "made a great effort"
The hotter the election campaign in the US becomes, the more difficult it will be for the group leaders not to get caught between the fronts. The American managers are internally "split as regards the Trumponomics," said the investment guru Mohamed El-Erian from the circle of colleagues. No wonder: The economy owes billions of tax credits and the reduction of tiresome regulation to the Trump government.
At the same time, however, his erratic policy makes them afraid.
From the point of view of many managers and entrepreneurs, the US president has become a factor in deciding their future. In a survey commissioned by broadcaster CNBC among small business owners, they did not cite the costs or the economy as the most important issue for the 2020 election. Twenty-four percent of the company's owners declared it a priority to "elect President Trump out of office". 29 percent stated that the most important thing was to "keep President Trump in office."
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Billionaires among themselves Stephen Ross (l.) And Donald Trump in 2010
Many a company boss has already made his bet - like the billionaire Stephen Ross. The head of Related Companies, which owns Equinox, a luxury fitness chain, organized a fundraising gala for Trump at his home on the Hamptons, the retreat of the New York money-lord. Interested parties could meet the president for a $ 100,000 to $ 250,000 balance. When many gym customers threatened to give notice, Equinox's Board Chairman Harvey Spevak hurriedly distanced himself from his co-investor.
Apple Chef Cook, on the other hand, manages to unite opposition and allegiance in one person. After Trump mistakenly called him "Tim Apple," Cook changed his Twitter name accordingly. Supporters of the president would have taken the "as an inside joke between the two bosses," while opponents interpreted it as a broadside against the president. " wrote the Wall Street Journal.
To the delight of Trump, Apple has now agreed to continue building its Mac Pro computer in Texas - after the government has freed a number of imported components from customs. "We thank the government for their support, which has made this possible," said Cook. A week later, however, the Ministry of Commerce for other components from China denied the waiver.
