The CEOs Trump Plans to Meet With to Shape His Economic Message

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump will meet Tuesday with leaders from more than a dozen major companies, including Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's new chief executive Mike Manley and PepsiCo Inc.'s departing chief Indra Nooyi, as he shapes his economic message heading into midterm elections.

The executives are traveling to Trump's golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he's in the middle of what the White House calls a working vacation. The president will be joined by aides including his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner; Larry Kudlow, his top economic adviser; and deputy chief of staff for policy coordination Chris Liddell.

According to a list obtained by Bloomberg News, Trump's guests also include:

• Johnson & Johnson Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alex Gorsky
• Continental Resources Inc. Chairman and CEO Harold Hamm
• FedEx Corp. Chairman and CEO Fred Smith
• Boeing Co. Chairman, President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg
• Honeywell International Inc. Chairman, President and CEO Darius Adamczyk
• Boston Beer Co. Inc. Chairman Jim Koch
• Ernst & Young Chairman and CEO Mark Weinberger
• Mastercard Inc. President and CEO Ajay Banga
• International Paper Co. Chairman and CEO Mark Sutton
• Red Apple Group Chairman, President and CEO John Catsimatidis

Richard LeFrak, a real estate tycoon who is an informal adviser to Trump, will also participate.

Trump enjoys business leaders' support for the tax law he signed last year and a deregulation agenda -- policies his administration contends are fueling economic growth and low unemployment. But some CEOs have criticized his immigration policies and, especially, his trade war with China and U.S. allies.

His administration recently asked corporations to sign pledges to help train or retrain American workers for 21st century jobs.

“This is an opportunity for the president to hear from a number of business leaders from a variety of sizes and types of companies on how the economy is doing from their perspective and what their priorities and thoughts are for the year ahead,” said White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters. “These people are managing the American workforce.”

While in New Jersey, Trump has traveled to a political rally and dined with supporters to raise money and support for Republic candidates who are running in November. He signed off on the reinstatement of sanctions on Iran, and has spoken by phone and in person with lawmakers and advisers.

He has been active on Twitter, continuing to attack Democrats on immigration and criticizing California's leaders for water policies he says are contributing to wildfires in the state. 

To contact the reporter on this story: Margaret Talev in Washington at mtalev@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Karen Leigh

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