It is no secret that President Trump likes MacDonald’s. I know there are some media members who have kept track of all of the falsehoods Trump has uttered during his administration (currently upward of 20,000) but I’m not aware of anyone keeping track of how many Big Macs or chicken sandwiches he has eaten during the same period. Perhaps that was the cause of his mysterious and unannounced visit to Walter Reed Hospital a while ago! But the continued lack of transparency in this administration is another story. Back to his Macdonald’s habit. And why would that be important? Frankly, it wouldn’t, but I came across something that I thought was a bit ironic.
I’m sure most people are not aware of the story about MacDonald’s former CEO, Steve Easterbrook, who was ousted last November after having an affair with an employee and that indiscretion came to light. Easterbrook, at the time, stated that he hadn’t had any other sexual relationships with employees. He was awarded a severance package and booted out the door.
Recently, it surfaced that Easterbrook had lied and, in fact, had sexual relationships with at least three more women employees. Macdonald sued Easterbrook to recover the severance package that was awarded to him. Recently, Mr. Easterbrook asked the court to dismiss the case against him. In MacDonald’s response they stated: “When McDonald’s investigated, Steve Easterbrook lied. He violated the Company’s policies, disrespected its values, and abused the trust of his co-workers, the Board, our franchisees, and our shareholders,” McDonald’s said in a statement to CNBC. “His argument that he should not be held responsible for even repeated bad acts is morally bankrupt and fails under the law.”
We currently have a man in the White House who is an unindicted co-conspirator in a crime to pay hush money to a porn star, has been accused by over a dozen women of various forms of sexual assault up to and including rape, was caught on tape bragging about being able to grope women and has a long history of treating women with disrespect. In addition to that, he has never released his tax returns so there is little definitive information about his true financial situation, business relationships and other entanglements. He has never, unlike previous presidents, released any of his medical records outside of brief letters from his personal physician which tell little. He is one of only 3 presidents in history to be impeached and there are lingering questions about some of his foreign relationships. A review of his Twitter account will show a long history of racist and sexist tropes along with forwarding controversial conspiracy theories. And, to top it all off, there is the constant lying – a daily occurrence.
MacDonald’s fired their former CEO, Steve Easterbrook, for lying and having affairs with employees and declared him morally bankrupt. When you compare what Easterbrook did, as distasteful as it was, it pales in comparison to what Trump has done during his tenure as President of the United States. The fact is, I would bet Trump could not get hired as a CEO at any reputable major American company. And, if he were hired, and performed there like he has performed for the American people, he would be fired just like Steve Easterbrook. There is no doubt in my mind that the only reason that Trump is still head of the Trump Organization is because it is a private company. If it were a public company, my guess is the Board of Directors would have booted his ass out the door a long time ago.
The list of CEOs at American companies who have been fired for far less egregious behavior than President Trump is fairly lengthy. This is only a partial list:
American Outdoor Brands (Smith and Wesson) CEO
CBS Corporation CEO—Leslie Moonves
Papa John’s chairman and founder—John Schnatter
Wynn Resorts CEO and founder—Steve Wynn
Intel Corporation CEO—Brian Krzanich
Walt Disney Co COO—John Lasseter
Athena Health CEO—Jonathan Bush
Xerox Corp CEO—Jeff Jacobson
Barnes & Noble CEO—Demos Parneros
It just begs the question, “How the hell can people put up with the ongoing pathetic, corrupt and incompetent behavior by the person occupying the White House when CEOs of major corporations are fired, sometimes for having a single ‘ethical lapse.’ The Republican Party which has often billed itself as the party of ‘family values’ where ‘character counts’ must have to twist their collective brains into pretzels to be able to rationalize how support for this man is justifiable.
Perhaps it’s just me – but I find it unbelievably ironic that Trump loves Macdonald’s and, in all likelihood, couldn’t get a job there.
So, Mr. President, enjoy those Big Macs. Maybe you can get some to go and share them with Mr. Easterbrook and other fired CEOs at your next MBA (Morally Bankrupt Anonymous) meeting. [My apologies to my fellow MBAs – UCLA 1987]
https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/the-biggest-ceo-exits-of-2018