Issue:

Muslim Advocates Applauds Merck CEO Frazier’s Leadership, Urges Others to Follow Suit

Washington, DC – Today, Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier resigned from Trump’s manufacturing council today over Trump’s longtime riling up of white nationalists. The following is a reaction from Scott Simpson, Public Advocacy Director of Muslim Advocates:

“In his resignation, Merck CEO Frazier explained, “America’s leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy.”

We agree.

Since Trump launched his presidential campaign over two years ago, his rhetoric and policies have fueled the white nationalist movement, and, this past weekend, we saw the consequences.

Last week, his White House gave cover to whoever firebombed a mosque in Minnesota. Then, we witnessed the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. Frazier and other CEOs advising Trump like Elon Musk, Bob Iger, and Travis Kalanick, clearly did not want to be complicit in this violence.

He must oust the administration’s white supremacist leaders, including Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka, from the White House. Their mere presence in leadership is an endorsement of this bigotry and this movement. Every day they remain in the Administration is a threat to our nation and the public’s safety.

We applaud Frazier’s leadership and urge others to follow suit and to not be a silent endorser of bigotry.”  

Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization that works on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths.

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