Donald Trump entered the Oval Office with zero political experience, touting his successes as one of New York’s most famous business moguls to carry his 2016 presidential campaign to victory. But the president’s managerial skills can be described as “antagonistic,” “authoritarian” and “confusing,” according to some of the most prominent chief financial officers from around the world.
CFOs representing Yahoo, Wells Fargo, UPS, Target, Starbucks and SiriusXM, among others at CNBC’s Global CFO Council, were tasked with describing Trump in the group’s quarterly survey. Each used a single word to characterize the president’s leadership capabilities, with several C-level professionals using the same negative-leaning phrases, CNBC reported Friday.
Four CFOs described Trump as “chaotic.” Two said the president was “erratic,” with another two stating that he is “reckless.” The commander-in-chief also was called “unpredictable” by two of those surveyed.
The vast majority of answers were far from positive, alluding to the president’s ego and short temper by calling him “narcissistic,” “self-absorbed” and “disjointed.” Other responses were less damaging, though arguably unfavorable: One CFO called Trump “unconventional,” while another wrote the president is “disruptive.”
The Trump White House has taken to categorizing recent weeks according to the administration’s apparent primary focus, moving from from “infrastructure week” to “women’s health week.” Perhaps that’s why one CFO labeled the president “fluid” in his response to the quarterly survey.
Whether you love him or hate him, there’s no denying the Trump presidency has been a whirlwind since he took office in January. Many likely will agree with one business leader’s response Friday: “There are no words.”
