The president is set to meet with corporate leaders on Tuesday, as concerns over his protectionist trade policies weigh on markets and the economy.
Trump faces an increasingly tough crowd
President Trump won over Americans with a promise to return the country to “boom” times of low taxes and deregulation. Fifty days into office, he’s now pitching an economy in “a period of transition” for which he can’t rule out a recession.
His stay-patient message may get tested on Tuesday, when he is set to meet with members of the Business Roundtable, whose ranks include influential C.E.O.s — many of whose companies’ stocks have been hit hard by tariff-fueled market fears.
Stock futures are up a little on Tuesday — but still stung by Monday’s huge plunges. The S&P 500 is nearing a correction after falling roughly 2.7 percent, while the Nasdaq is performing even worse after another sharp drop.
Much of that is driven by worries about Trump’s economic policy, principally his on-again-off-again tariffs. The president is set to impose more levies as soon as Wednesday and has put companies and trading partners on notice that they won’t get exemptions.
Business leaders are getting increasingly worried. A new poll by Chief Executive magazine, conducted last week, found that C.E.O.s’ assessment of American business conditions was at its lowest level since Spring 2020. (It’s a stark contrast to far-rosier findings by a Conference Board survey last month.)
On Monday, Delta Air Lines cut its first-quarter sales forecast, blaming “the recent reduction in consumer and corporate confidence” driven by economic uncertainty. American Airlines this morning also warned of steeper losses as demand softens for leisure travel. And households are feeling gloomy about “their year-ahead financial situations,” the New York Fed’s monthly consumer survey found.