Analysis: How CEOs are trying to get a seat at the table with Trump

When Spotify CEO Daniel Ek spoke on the phone with Donald Trump, he was prepared.

Ek shared statistics with the president-elect about the performance of the interview Trump gave to Joe Rogan’s pre-election podcast on the streaming platform, a source familiar with the conversation revealed to CNN . It was a subtle way to please Trump’s ego during the introductory call.

Ek is one of at least 10 CEOs who have spoken with Trump or traveled to Mar-a-Lago to meet with him since the election — often carrying a $1 million check with them to his inauguration ceremony. This parade of executives is one of the fruits of Trump’s victory in November and reflects the desire of many business leaders to gain a seat at the table with a president-elect who has the power to implement policies that could significantly impact their bottom line.

The strongest example of that power — and the influence that business leaders can exert to shape it — was on display this week, when Elon Musk led a movement to block a government funding deal, plunging Congress into a last-minute scramble that by little prevented a strike.

CEOs seeking to cozy up to Trump may not have the same megaphone as Musk, who used his X platform to pressure Republican lawmakers on the spending deal this week. However, the president-elect’s meetings resemble a “who’s who” of big tech executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Alphabet Inc. co-founder Sergey Brin , Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

After blocking the government’s funding bill on Wednesday, bringing the government to the brink of a shutdown, Trump and Elon Musk dined at Mar-a-Lago with Jeff Bezos, who has a history of tense relations with Trump. A source familiar with the matter said Trump invited Bezos to his inauguration during what was described as a “friendly” dinner.

The next morning, the president-elect posted on platform X: “EVERYONE WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND!!!”

As business giants try to smooth relations with a president-elect known for impulsive decisions, Trump has reveled in the attention and positive reception he has received, especially from those with whom he has had friction in the past.

The CEOs who met with Trump came with a clear strategy, people familiar with the meetings told Reuters. CNN . That includes addressing issues they know Trump will appreciate — like bringing manufacturing and jobs back to the U.S. — while quietly introducing policy concerns they have with his new administration. Many of these CEOs see these meetings as an opportunity to “get off on the right foot,” according to another source familiar with the matter.

Susie Wiles, who will be White House chief of staff in the new administration, is organizing many of the meetings. Some CEOs are asking their Trump-aligned teams or advisers to contact Wiles, while others are calling Trump directly, two sources familiar with discussions between the CEOs told CNN .

Many of the visits have served as introductory meetings, as Trump and the CEOs had no personal ties before. Other executives, however, are more focused on ensuring they keep lines of communication open over the next four years and sounding out Trump’s business priorities.

The smartest ones talk about how they want to bring manufacturing here, more jobs here, and then they discuss tariffs and exemptions. The smart ones are making a political point that interests them and tying it to jobs and things Trump wants, one source said.

Some Trump allies have also emphasized that the president-elect and his supporters expect more than just donations and praise from some of these CEOs, another source told CNN specifically citing Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix and longtime Democratic donor, who met with Trump this week.

Netflix is ​​a company that has a multi-year deal with the Obamas where (Obama’s former national security advisor) Susan Rice sits on the board, the source said. We want to know if the company is willing to give Republicans a seat at the table.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump and Sarandos discussed that issue during the meeting. Netflix declined to comment.

Reestablishing relations with the new president

For several tech CEOs, the meetings are an opportunity to begin a reconciliation of sorts after a frosty relationship with Trump.

The president-elect received $1 million in donations for his inauguration from executives at Amazon, Meta, Open AI, Uber and others — and has now met with many of them, too.

Trump has a long history of disagreements with Bezos, particularly over the Amazon founder’s purchase of The Washington Post and the newspaper’s critical coverage of him.

Amazon also provides an example of how Trump’s presidency — and his view of the company and its leadership — could threaten its business.

During the first Trump administration, Amazon lost a $10 billion Pentagon contract to Microsoft. A speechwriter for Jim Mattis later wrote that Trump called his then-Secretary of Defense and instructed him to “screw Amazon” and take it out of the opportunity.

This time, however, Bezos is approaching Trump very differently.

He was responsible for The Washington Post’s controversial decision not to endorse a presidential candidate in the 2024 election. And as soon as Trump won, he was quick to congratulate him. “Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th president for an extraordinary political recovery and decisive victory. No nation has greater opportunities,” Bezos posted on X. “Wishing [a Donald Trump] All the best in leading and uniting the America we all love.”

Earlier this month, Bezos said at a New York Times event: “The press is not the enemy, we will persuade you of that.”

THE CNN has reached out to Amazon for comment.

Trump has also lashed out at social media companies, blaming Twitter and Meta during his first term for alleged censorship of conservatives on social media. He also accused Facebook of election interference in his 2020 loss to Joe Biden, due to donations made by founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to support election infrastructure.

In the run-up to the 2024 election, Trump threatened Zuckerberg in his book “Save America,” writing: “We are watching him closely, and if he does anything illegal this time, he will spend the rest of his life in prison — just like others who cheat in the 2024 presidential election.”

Zuckerberg, one of the first CEOs to pledge $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, went to Mar-a-Lago and had dinner with him last month. Facebook said this month that its founder wants to play an “active role” in technology policy conversations with the new administration.

During their dinner on the Mar-a-Lago patio, Zuckerberg showed Trump a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses from Meta, a source familiar with the demonstration said, and then gave the glasses to the president-elect.

Making interests clear

Meetings with CEOs are not just about building personal relationships – there are key issues that Trump will need to decide early in his term, where discussions can make a difference to policy.

One such question is the fate of social media giant TikTok. Trump met with TikTok CEO Shou Chew on Monday afternoon at his Mar-a-Lago club, as the social media giant asks the Supreme Court to get involved in a legal fight over its use of the application in the United States. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments next month on whether the app’s controversial ban violates the First Amendment.

Trump had previously supported banning TikTok, but changed his position during the campaign.

“You know, I have a special place in my heart for TikTok because I beat the youth by 34 points and there are those who say TikTok has something to do with that,” Trump said Monday at a press conference in Mar-a-Lago. (Trump lost voters ages 18 to 29 to Vice President Kamala Harris by 11 points, according to exit polls.)

TikTok declined to comment.

During Cook’s meeting with Trump, the Apple CEO raised the issue of tariffs as well as the European regulations his company is dealing with, a source familiar with the meeting said. THE CNN contacted Apple.

In another notable meeting, Trump and his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., met with top executives from pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly and Pfizer and the industry group PhRMA.

Trump commented on that meeting at Monday’s press conference, saying they spent most of the time discussing high drug prices and the role of pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs.

“What came out of that meeting is that we are paying too much because we pay much more than other countries. And we have laws that make it impossible to cut back, and we have something called the middleman,” Trump said. “The terrible middleman that makes more money, frankly, than the pharmaceutical companies, and they don’t do anything except be middlemen.”

“I don’t know who these middlemen are, but they are rich,” Trump added. “We are going to eliminate the middleman. We will reduce drug costs to levels no one has ever seen before,” Trump said.

A source who was briefed on the meeting told CNN that Trump told executives at dinner that he wanted to “destroy” PBMs.

More meetings are likely to come before Trump takes office. A source said he is expected to meet soon with Walmart’s CEO, among others.

This content was originally published in Analysis: How CEOs are trying to get a seat at the table with Trump on the CNN Brasil website.

Source: CNN Brasil