The US business leaders who served on the two now-defunct advisory groups to President Donald Trump have suffered a hail of opprobrium for their involvement. But some of them continue to believe that their efforts were worthwhile.
They knew when the administration convened the two groups, the strategy and policy forum and the manufacturing and jobs initiative, that joining would expose them to reputational risk, but they believed that working with Mr Trump would also give them an opportunity to shape the administration’s position.
The president’s remarks on Tuesday, including the comments that there were “very fine people” alongside the neo-Nazi protesters in Charlottesville at the weekend, convinced almost all the business leaders that they had to end the association with him.