There’s been a lot of backlash to Donald Trump recently. The president has seen his approval rating fall to an early-administration low of 38%. Meanwhile, his latest travel ban has (like his first) been held up by the courts. Meanwhile, those associated with Trump have seen their stock fall; just ask Kellyanne Conway, Sean Spicer, Rex Tillerson or Jeff Sessions.
But contact with Trump has had an impact in unexpected ways. Here’s a list of three Trump-related stories that people involved probably didn’t see coming:
1. Disney CEO Isn’t Going To Miss His Shot
Robert Iger, Walt Disney’s chief executive, is a case in point. You would think being part of the President’s Business Advisory Council would be a big coup. At the very least, it should be recognition of a top position on the national corporate hierarchy.
But for Iger, it has only been a headache so far. Anti-Trump protesters have put pressure on the Disney CEO, who has defended his decision to remain on the council, despite the pressure. He called his participation in the forum “a privileged opportunity”.
However, at the annual shareholders meeting last week, Iger had to face down two activist investors who urged Iger to step down from the business task force. Shareholder representatives at the meeting described the Trump administration as “bigoted” and “racist”.
“I did not believe, nor do I believe that my membership in that group in any way endorses or supports any specific policy of the president or his administration. I think it’s a privileged opportunity to have a voice in the room,” Iger said to Disney’s shareholders.
Iger drew from an unusual source in making his argument. He turned to musical theater. Iger cited the Broadway hit “Hamilton” to argue for his continued participation, saying it was important to have a voice in the room where decisions are made.
It should be noted that Iger is a Democrat who supported Hillary Clinton in the presidential election. He’s also the lone entertainment executive on the panel that includes CEOs from other companies including IBM and General Motors.
2. Emirates Airlines Gets The Short End Of The Travel Ban
Trump’s travel ban might be headed for a court battle, but at least one business has cited the new executive order as a major crimp in its revenue. Emirates Airlines said last week that its bookings to the US dropped 35% following the first travel ban the president announced in January.
“The first U.S. travel order saw the booking velocity fall by 35% overnight. The effect it had was instantaneous,” President Tim Clark told journalists in Berlin on the sidelines of the ITB travel fair, according to reports.
He suggested that this might have been an initial knee-jerk response. Clark noted that there was more clarity in the revised executive order issued recently, and that there had been some positive movement in bookings on the Emirates network. However, there hasn’t not a full recovery yet.
“When will it recapture the original booking curve is anyone’s guess,” he said.
3. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ex-Apprentice
Arnold Schwarzenegger is another person whose life is being unexpectedly altered by the Trump presidency. First, it landed the former California Governor a role on Trump’s former reality show The Apprentice. Then, when ratings for this season were low, it left the movie star in a Twitter war with the president of the United States. Now, all the attendant publicity might be pushing Schwarzenegger back to politics.
According to reports, the actor is considering running for Senate in 2018.
Several Republican political insiders in California told Politico that Schwarzenegger is considering throwing his hat in the ring for the Senate seat currently held by Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat.
Adding fuel to the fire, Politico said that Daniel Ketchell, a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger, did not rule out a possible Senate run when he was asked to respond to the speculation.
“Right now Gov. Schwarzenegger’s focus is on using his platform to bring some sensibility and coherency to Washington by fighting for redistricting reform, like we did in California,” Ketchell said. “We are keeping all of our options open as far as how we can accomplish that.”
While Schwarzenegger ran for Governor of California as a Republican, the Politico report said he may run for Senate as an independent.
However, a separate report from the Los Angeles Times countered the Politico report. A source told the paper the speculation about a Senate run is not true.
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