[CNN] One of the country's most powerful labor union leaders became the latest person to walk away from President Trump over his remarks about white supremacists.
Richard Trumka, leader of the AFL-CIO, issued a statement on Tuesday saying "I cannot sit on a council for a President that tolerates bigotry and domestic terrorism." He said he was stepping down from Trump's manufacturing council "effective immediately."
His resignation came shortly after Trump told reporters on Tuesday that "both sides" were responsible for violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
In addition to Trumka, Thea Lea, an economist and former deputy chief of staff at the AFL-CIO, also resigned from the council.
Four corporate executives had already walked away from Trump's manufacturing council following the president's reaction to the protests in Charlottesville.
Scott Paul, head of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, quit Trump's manufacturing council earlier on Tuesday. He said on Twitter it was "the right thing for me to do."
He joined the CEOs of Merck, Under Armour and Intel, who all left the council Monday. The group, which Trump established in January with about two dozen members, is supposed to meet occasionally to offer the president advice on job growth.
Trump said on Twitter that he has other CEOs ready to step in and that "grandstanders" should not have joined the manufacturing council in the first place. |