Former President Donald Trump last month met privately with dozens of the country's most prominent CEOs and said he wanted to lower the corporate tax rate to 20% if he returns to the White House.
The former president later told Bloomberg Businessweek he would like the corporate tax rate lowered to 15%.
The June 13 meeting in Washington, D.C., included CEOs such as JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, Apple's Tim Cook, and Bank of America's Brian Moynihan, Bloomberg Businessweek reported.
The Business Roundtable, a nonpartisan lobbying group, had organized the "fireside chat."
Trump told the CEOs he wanted to chop the corporate tax rate to 20%. During his first time, the rate was slashed from 35% to 21%.
"They loved it, they were happy," Trump told Bloomberg Businessweek before adding that he wants to cut the rate even lower than that: "I would like to get it down to 15."
Business leaders who had been hesitant to get behind Trump are realizing a second Trump administration is very possible.
National polls show Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, leading President Joe Biden in a potential November matchup for the presidency.
Billionaire Elon Musk has pledged about $45 million a month to a new pro-Trump super PAC, and Citadel hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin has discussed donating to the former president.
Trump said the June meeting with CEOs was "a lovefest."
"I will tell you when I'm not loved, because I feel that better than anybody," he said.
Some CEOs have been avid Trump supporters.
"The Trump economy was very good," said Scott Bessent, CEO of Key Square Capital Management LLC and a top Trump donor. "It worked for people at the top and at the bottom. The market was good. Real wages increased. It was a very good time."
The former president, though, said he understands that the CEOs are driven by self-interest.
"Whoever's leading gets all the support they want," he told Bloomberg Businessweek. "I could have the personality of a shrimp, and everybody would come."
Some of the CEOs who attended the meeting were among Trump's fiercest critics after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol.
Asked if he'll seek retribution from some CEOs, Trump told Bloomberg Businessweek: "I don't have [plans for] retribution against anyone."
During an interview at Mar-a-Lago, Trump also told Bloomberg Businessweek that if he's reelected, he'll allow Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to serve out his term, which runs through May 2026.
"I would let him serve it out, especially if I thought he was doing the right thing," Trump said.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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