Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier resigned from the U.S. President Donald Trump’s American Manufacturing Council Monday following Trump’s comments stemming from the racist demonstrations in Charlottesville, Va. over the weekend.
In a statement, the boss of one of the America’s largest pharmaceutical companies, resigned from Trump’s council, citing “a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism.”
WATCH: Trump condemns violent protests in Charlottesville
“I am resigning from the President’s American Manufacturing Council. Our country’s strength stems from its diversity and the contributions made by men and women of different faiths, races, sexual orientations and political beliefs,” Frazier said in a statement. “America’s leaders must honour our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal.
“As CEO of Merck and as a matter of personal conscience, I feel a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism.”
Frazier’s resignation comes shortly after a violent confrontation between white supremacists and protesters in Charlottesville, Va., that left one person dead and 19 injured.
Trump is being criticized for not explicitly condemning the white nationalists who marched in Charlottesville. The president blamed bigotry on “many sides.”
READ MORE: How the ‘Unite the Right’ rally turned violent and sparked backlash against Donald Trump
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides,” Trump said. “It’s been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama, it’s been going on for a long, long time.”
Trump lashed out almost immediately at Frazier on Twitter, saying Frazier “will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!”
After Trump’s comments on Sunday, the White House issued a statement to further add that “the president said very strongly in his statement yesterday that he condemns all forms of violence, bigotry and hatred and of course that includes white Supremacists, KKK, neo-Nazi and all extremist groups.”
White nationalists had assembled in Charlottesville to vent their frustration against the city’s plans to take down a statue of Confederal Gen. Robert E. Lee. Counter-protesters massed in opposition.
-with a file from the Associated Press.
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