CHARLES GASPARINO: 5 essential lessons for CEOS to thrive in the new Trump administration
Full-fledged cultural shift that elected Trump means CEOs need to ignore leftist pressure groups
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We just witnessed the greatest political comeback in American history. Importantly, the broad and diverse coalition President-elect Donald Trump assembled reflects a seismic realignment, one that reveals Americans were really upset about the direction of the country. They were certainly fed up with absurd obstacles to having more money in their pockets — namely, the left’s woke agenda.
If you’re an executive, this is your call to action. Step up, stand firm and keep your business attuned to customer preferences and focused on the bottom line. Do right by real America, and watch your profits soar.
But many CEOs remain asleep at the wheel. If they don’t wake up, they’re soon going to find themselves in a ditch — like Vice President Kamala Harris — and also missing out on America’s next big economic boom.
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What once seemed like isolated protests — with Bud Light, Target, Disney has turned into a full-fledged cultural shift. The woke playbook executives believed was essential to gaining the upper hand is not just obsolete, but outright destructive.
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., left, and now President-elect Donald Trump, prior to a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, US, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Yet many C-suiters — perhaps bamboozled by woke warriors in their HR departments or intimidated by activist investors — still believe that DEI is the key to getting ahead.
So, what should executives be doing?
First, they need to stop chasing yesterday’s politics and grasp that patriotism and profit can be mutually reinforcing.
Trump is promising an America-First policy agenda paired with a clear stance on culture: corporate values should strengthen our nation, not divide it. His second administration will back companies like SpaceX and Anduril that embrace our country’s foundational principles and take seriously the notion of national sovereignty.
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Trump triumphed by building a groundbreaking coalition of Americans from all backgrounds — Black, White, Hispanic, men, women. It features a unifying belief: America is a force for good.
Second, CEOs should look out for landmark executive orders. We hear Trump is seriously considering a ban on DEI in federal contracting to restrict its reach throughout the administrative state.
Third, executives must make sure their teams understand the cultural shift, from the top of the org chart to the folks on the ground. The C-suite can’t hope to substantively pivot while middle management continues to enforce DEI quotas and preach "diversity."
Executives should no longer allow themselves to be strong-armed by elites — whether social-media mobs, nonprofits like the Human Rights Campaign, or HR managers — telling them who to hire.
CEOs need to be aware if new executive orders change the business climate. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Fourth, executives will need a sophisticated understanding of the America-First ecosphere that has quietly yet decisively taken shape inside the Beltway over the past four years. A different tightly interconnected constellation of individuals, nonprofits, businesses and media outlets now manages access and influences the agenda.
Fifth, executives should reject the "revolving door" model. If history is any indicator, to presumably gain an "inside lane," corporate America will rush to hire outgoing Biden-Harris officials who know their way around the federal bureaucracy. But that would just be doubling down on the bad. Plus, we understand Trump will lean on Elon Musk to pare down the administrative state and make this type of hiring more difficult.
Even before the election, it appeared some CEOs were coming to their senses.
Second, CEOs should look out for landmark executive orders. We hear Trump is seriously considering a ban on DEI in federal contracting to restrict its reach throughout the administrative state.
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Google, long a source of right-wing ire, started curbing political discussion among employees. Also, a number of legacy newspapers, including The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, refrained from endorsing a presidential candidate. Presumably, they’ve started to recognize the business folly in progressivism.
There is real money to be made here for those brave enough to seize the moment — or in the words of a famous politician recently on the receiving end of anti-woke backlash, "to be unburdened by what has been." The CEOs who refrain will be left in the dust counting their losses.
Charles Gasparino, is a New York Post columnist, a senior correspondent for FOX Business Network, and the author of Go Woke Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America. Follow @CGasparino.
Jonathan Bronitsky is the co-founder and CEO of ATHOS and former chief speechwriter to the U.S. attorney general. Follow @JBronitsky.