Since Donald Trump clinched the presidential election back in November, the President-Elect has made a slew of right-wing and corporate-minded cabinet appointments. Almost every Trump cabinet pick has made is controversial (to say the least), but the newest additions to his advisory team seem surprisingly adequate.
His transition team recently announced that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, and Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi have been tapped to play a role in Trump’s advisory team. The three highly successful CEOs will join the ranks of 13 other members on the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum. This group is expected to meet with Trump “frequently to share their specific experience and knowledge as the President implements his economic agenda.”
Perhaps the most surprising selection is Musk, who is also heavily invested in solar energy. As Trump has shown his willingness to appoint oil moguls and do away with the integrity of the Environmental Protection Agency, it will be interesting to see what role the South African technologist and entrepreneur will play on the team.
Other major names that were mentioned to be a part of the meeting include Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg; Eric Schmidt and Larry Page of Alphabet, and Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, the popular media outlet that endorsed Hillary Clinton for president back in October. Stephen A. Schwarzman, the CEO and co-founder of the distinguished private equity firm Blackstone, will serve as chairman of the Forum.
In a statement, Trump highly praised the CEOs selected for the Forum:
“America has the most innovative and vibrant companies in the world, and the pioneering CEOs joining this Forum today are at the top of their fields. My Administration is going to work together with the private sector to improve the business climate and make it attractive for firms to create new jobs across the United States from Silicon Valley to the heartland.”
While these additions to his advisory team doesn’t induce the wave of nausea we’ve come to expect as a result of Trump’s appointments, it’s important that we keep a weary eye on the other highly questionable characters Trump has surrounded himself as he prepares to take the White House.
