Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Atlantic, publicly criticized President Trump's trade policies, labeling them "erratic" and damaging to the global economy. He highlighted the unpredictability as detrimental to businesses worldwide, causing delays in investment and spending decisions.
Branson directly opposed Trump's heavy tariffs on imports, including those from allies. He also condemned Trump's stance on the Ukraine war, believing it places America on the wrong side of history.
Branson's outspoken criticism is notable, as many business leaders avoid publicly antagonizing the Trump administration. He believes the policies are driven by a small elite, lacking the support of most Americans, whom he describes as decent individuals. He expressed sadness over the situation.
Branson stated that the tariffs caused significant financial harm, nearly leading to a global meltdown. His comments were reported by several reputable news outlets including The Telegraph, The Times of London, and the Financial Times.
Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic, sharply criticized President Trump’s “erratic” trade policies on Wednesday, saying that they risk “doing so much damage around the world” and that most Americans do not support them.
“The unpredictability is just awful for everybody around the world,” Mr. Branson told reporters from British news outlets during a business trip to Saudi Arabia. “It’s just erratic, unpredictable, which is very, very difficult for business to deal with.”
He added: “An unsettled world is not good for anybody. People delay decisions on investment and spending.”
Mr. Branson’s comments were striking because many business leaders have avoided direct public criticism of Mr. Trump, apparently for fear of antagonizing his administration.
By contrast, Mr. Branson directly spoke out against the president’s policy of imposing heavy tariffs on most imports to the United States, even on goods coming from close allies.
He also said Mr. Trump’s decision to essentially switch sides on the Ukraine war — by warming up to Moscow while pushing Ukraine to accept the loss of territory — “had put America on the wrong side of history” and “should worry the world the most.”
Mr. Branson, one of Britain’s best known business figures, spoke while visiting Riyadh to launch a Virgin Atlantic flight from Heathrow Airport in London to the Saudi capital. His comments were quoted by several outlets, including The Telegraph, The Times of London and the Financial Times.
The U.S. government’s tariff announcements had, Mr. Branson said, “financially done a lot of harm. The world was on the verge of a complete meltdown two weeks ago.”
The British entrepreneur said that he believed the president’s policy agenda was promoted by “a fairly small elite of people around Trump” but lacked the support of many Americans.
“I don’t think he’s carrying the vast majority of Americans in what he’s doing,” Mr. Branson said. “Most American people are decent individuals. I’m just sad, incredibly sad. And many, many, many Americans I know are just very sad.”
If you often open multiple tabs and struggle to keep track of them, Tabs Reminder is the solution you need. Tabs Reminder lets you set reminders for tabs so you can close them and get notified about them later. Never lose track of important tabs again with Tabs Reminder!
Try our Chrome extension today!
Share this article with your
friends and colleagues.
Earn points from views and
referrals who sign up.
Learn more