Chief executives of more than 60 Minnesota-based businesses, including Target, Best Buy and UnitedHealth Group, signed an open letter on Sunday that called for an “immediate deescalation of tensions” in Minneapolis in order for “state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.”
The letter came one day after 37-year-old Alex Pretti became the second person killed by federal agents in the city in recent weeks, amid Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“I’m going to go out on a limb: That’s bland at best,” Stephanie Ruhle said on Monday’s “The 11th Hour” in response to the letter.
She said that she was glad to hear from business leaders, but that it came only after “thousands and thousands of extraordinary ordinary Americans … stood out in the cold for weeks now” to protest the administration’s actions.
“So, yes, 60 of these companies said, ‘Please, let’s de-escalate,’ and they said that 20 hours after some of the even-bigger CEOs (I’m looking at you, Tim Cook) were at the White House Saturday night for a movie screening of Melania’s documentary, hours after Alex Pretti was killed,” she added.
David Gura, anchor and correspondent at Bloomberg News, agreed with Ruhle’s analysis. “To highlight the blandness of this statement, we should talk about the way in which it’s come together, how it’s being presented here,” he said, pointing out that the leaders issued the letter “under the cover, or the guise of, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.”
Gura said that by issuing a joint statement, business leaders showed they are not comfortable calling out the administration individually.
“I think it speaks to the moment that we’re in right now,” Gura said, noting the “extreme level of caution among executives” about “the perils of speaking out and what retribution or retaliation you might get from the White House.”
Ruhle agreed that it was a “very tricky needle to thread” for business leaders and pointed to the administration’s targeting of JPMorgan Chase chief Jamie Dimon, who the MS NOW host said was “hardly a woke CEO.”
Dimon “was rightfully critical of immigration policies, was honest about the way tariffs work, and Trump turns around and slaps him and JPMorgan with a $5 billion lawsuit,” she said.
Ruhle, however, argued that the situation in Minneapolis justified a stronger response from the business community. “We’re talking about speaking out after the second American citizen was killed in the last three weeks,” she said.
“I get that they don’t want to get on the wrong side of the president, but what about getting on the wrong side of the American people and justice and decency and humanity?” Ruhle asked.
You can watch Ruhle’s full analysis in the clip at the top of the page.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW. She was previously a segment producer for “AYMAN” and “The Mehdi Hasan Show.”