America's largest companies cannot keep up with Donald Trump's fast start to his second term and are working around the clock to catch up to the president.
Trump has gotten to work immediately, signing dozens of executive orders, launching a $500 billion AI venture and firing thousands of White House staffers.
For a variety of reasons, the corporate elite is preparing to deal with the often chaotic nature of the president and some bills that could impact their businesses.
JPMorgan Chase, whose CEO Jamie Dimon had back-channel communications with Trump in late 2024, has launched a “war room” to deal with the president.
Staffers have been encouraged to study Trump's many executive orders and then send their analysis directly to Dimon.
Bank of America and Citigroup are launching similar rooms to help their international operations make sense of it all.
Some companies are preparing for Trump's promised mass deportation program by contacting a legal hotline.
Fisher Phillips, a leading lawn company, says many businesses have called on their rapid response immigration team, with some fearing they will be raided by immigration enforcement.
America's biggest companies can't keep up with Donald Trump's fast start to his second term and are working around the clock to catch up to the president
JPMorgan Chase, whose CEO Jamie Dimon had back-channel communications with Trump in late 2024, has launched a 'war room' to deal with the president
“We're already getting calls,” said Shannon Stevenson, immigration co-chair of the 24-hour hotline. “That will probably only increase.”
Customers – ranging from construction companies to healthcare workers – have been given a specific number to call the company for a surprise raid.
Some have even held special training sessions or distributed guides in their offices on how to handle a raid.
One law firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, launched a blog tracking Trump's various executive orders.
At least one company, 3M, is concerned about the president's plan to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada, where half of their imports come from.
“We're watching it very closely, but we have a lot of operational levers we can pull,” CEO Bill Brown said. “We have a lot of factories in the US, and we can make them flexible and maybe bring some of that product back to the US.”
As the World Economic Forum's annual banter was in full swing in the Swiss Alps on Tuesday, Trump gave everyone something to talk about with his actions on his first day back in office.
Energy executives might want to consider Trump's promise to “drill, baby, drill.” Foreign leaders deciphered what he meant by his desire to expand U.S. territory.
At least one company, 3M, is concerned about the president's plan to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada, where half of their imports come from. “We're watching it very, very closely, but we have a lot of operational levers we can pull,” said CEO Bill Brown (pictured).
Trade advocates digested the unveiling of its “External Revenue Service” to collect tariffs and duties – a concern for many business leaders at the elite gathering.
From the first speeches on Tuesday, panel discussions and back-channel meetings in the city of Davos, Trump's executive orders and suggestive rhetoric set tongues wagging.
“Here I am,” Donald Trump said as season two of his presidency began Monday.
“The American people have spoken.”
Since then he has been a man in a hurry. In his first half-day, he gave two more speeches, attended three inaugural balls and, in another Trumpian break with tradition, took questions from reporters as he signed a series of executive orders in the Oval Office.
He faces a race against the deadline that all presidents face: the moment he becomes a lame duck.
Trump showed how he plans to handle this during his first full day in office on Tuesday (episode two), simply flooding the media with an avalanche of events and headlines.
He went to church, met with his congressional leadership team and unveiled plans for a massive AI venture, all before discussing everything from TikTok to the Jan. 6 pardon in a question-and-answer session with reporters.
Donald Trump has publicly fired several senior employees in an unprecedented uproar
President Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform to start the day with action
But Tuesday's news started in the most Trumpian way possible, with an early morning social media post.
Reporters who have grown accustomed to the leisurely pace of the Biden White House are getting their first reminder that Trump is operating on a different clock.
Phones buzz at 28 minutes past midnight. Inauguration Day is technically over, but the president is leaving messages on his Truth Social platform.
It announces that the White House personnel office is sifting through lists of Biden appointees and naming the first four to be fired, including some high-profile critics.
