President Trump disbands 2 business councils amid criticism from CEOs

WASHINGTON (KGO) -- 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.

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"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.

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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.

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