Here’s What the Most Powerful Americans Think of Donald Trump

From Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg to Melinda and Bill Gates, all American tycoons have something to say about Trump.

US Presidential candidate Donald Trump. (Photo: Reuters)

AP reported that the real estate mogul crossed the magic mark of 1,237 Republican party delegates, clearing the way for Trump to be crowned the party’s nominee in the national convention in July.

With a Trump vs Clinton battle for the Oval Office looking certain, let’s take a look at what top American corporate leaders think of him.

Warren Buffet

Warren Buffet. (Photo: IANS)

The Berkshire Hathaway CEO and a long-time Democratic party donor, Buffett is open about his support for Hillary Clinton. Even though he told Fortune magazine that the economy and his country “will be fine” even if Trump wins, he slammed Trump in his annual letter to shareholders.

It’s an election year, and candidates can’t stop speaking about our country’s problems (which, of course, only they can solve). As a result of this negative drumbeat, many Americans now believe that their children will not live as well as they themselves do. That view is dead wrong: The babies being born in America today are the luckiest crop in history.

Warren Buffet, CEO, Berkshire Hathaway      

Tim Cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook. (Photo: Reuters)

Apple and Donald Trump have had a rough innings, with Trump asking his supporters to boycott Apple products until they comply with the FBI over the encryption issue. Though this statement was not taken seriously, since Trump himself was seen tweeting from an iPhone, Time Magazine managed to get Apple CEO Tim Cook to speak up on the Trump.

I haven’t talked to him so I don’t know what he thinks. The way I look at it is, Apple is this great American company that could have only happened here. And we see it as our responsibility to stand up on something like this and speak up for all these people that are thinking what we’re thinking but don’t have the voice. We don’t see it as our role as the decision maker. We see that this is our moment to stand up and say ‘Stop.’ And force a dialogue. And that dialogue may, I don’t know how it’ll go. I’m optimistic. But I don’t know at the end of the day. But I see that as our role.      

Tim Cook, CEO, Apple 

Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg (Photo: iStock)

The Facebook founder and CEO has not been shy about expressing his disdain for Trump. In the Facebook F8 Conference in April, Zuckerberg opposed Trump’s worldview, saying that Facebook stood for connecting people and not for building walls.

I hear fearful voices calling for building walls and distancing people they label as ‘others’. For blocking free expression, slowing immigration, reducing trade. Instead of building walls, let’s build bridges.

Mark Zuckerburg, CEO, Facebook

Bill and Melinda Gates

Bill Gates. (Photo: Reuters)

Donald Trump managed to rile up crowds when he fervently spoke about “banning the Muslims” from the country. During the same speech, he called on to Bill Gates to “close that Internet up in some way”.
But the issue that really extracted a comment out of the Gates’ family was Trump’s campaign against vaccinations. Trump had claimed in a tweet that childhood vaccinations cause autism.

In an interview with Huffington Post, Melinda Gates, Bill Gates’ wife, lashed out the Republican contender.

Melinda Gates. (Photo: Reuters)

It seems ridiculous to me; you need to be informed. If you have this platform, which all the presidential candidates do... your job is to be educated and to inform people properly. I think we’ve lost a little bit of that in the United States in this election. 

Melinda Gates, Co-Chairman, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Trump does have his fair share of supporters from the business community, however. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, once called the ‘Donald Trump of Finance’ by Fortune magazine, believes that Trump is what America needs right now.

Donald Trump is what this country needs at this time, what Washington needs at this time. 

Carl Icahn, Activist Investor, in an interview with Fox Business