President Donald Trump spent much of yesterday on conference calls with corporate executives, industry groups and other influencers to try to build momentum for reopening much of the economy by early next month.
The White House had earlier announced the formation of an advisory council called the “Great American Economic Revival Industry Group” that includes a number of trade association CEOs and hospitality executives whose industries are severely impacted by the pandemic.
Among the 219 individuals named to the advisory group were Linda Darr of the American Council of Engineering Companies, Zippy Duvall of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Jerry Howard of the National Association of Home Builders, Rich Nola of the National Mining Association, Marvin Irby of the National Restaurant Association, Dirk Van Dongen of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, Robert Cresanti of the International Franchise Association, Jay Timmons of the National Association of Manufacturers, Matthew Shay of the National Retail Federation; Chris Spear of the American Trucking Associations; and Roger Dow of the U.S. Travel Association.
The travel and hospitality industry is also well represented on the council with executives from Carnival Cruise Line, Hilton, Hyatt, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Las Vegas Sands Corp., Marriott International, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean, Treasure Island Hotels and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
“Today, I spoke with the leaders of many of our nation’s most renowned companies and organizations on how to achieve the full resurgence of the American economy,” Trump told reporters in a Rose Garden briefing last night. “We want to get our country open again.”
Trump has said some states should be able to ease social distancing practices by May 1 but The Wall Street Journal reported that banking and financial services executives told the president yesterday that widespread availability of COVID-19 testing is needed before Americans return to their workplaces, dine in restaurants and shop in stores, and otherwise begin to resume a normal routine.
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