The U.S. Chamber of Commerce weighed in as well. “The original DACA program announced in 2012 was premised on sound public policy, and unlike DAPA, it was not challenged in court,” its statement read. “Individuals enrolled in good faith and became ingrained in our communities and the nation’s economy. To reverse course now and deport these individuals is contrary to fundamental American principles and the best interests of our country.” It pointed out, “With approximately 700,000 DACA recipients working for all sorts of businesses across the country, terminating their employment eligibility runs contrary to the president’s goal of growing the U.S. economy.”

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Likewise, Business Roundtable Chief Executive and President Joshua Bolten, who served as chief of staff for President George W. Bush, in his statement declared:

Business Roundtable strongly opposes a termination of DACA without a viable replacement in place. We urge Congress and the President to work together to enact a legislative solution before this deadline expires. Failure to act would have a significant negative impact on businesses that rely on employees who are here and working lawfully. Business leaders count on those employees to contribute to our enterprises, generate economic growth and create more jobs for Americans. The challenge in finding a solution for those covered temporarily by the DACA program is further evidence of the importance of working together to improve our system.

You may recall that some of these same voices (or ones like them) objected strenuously to the Muslim travel ban, Trump’s pull-out from the Paris climate agreement and Trump’s comments about Charlottesville. They’ve also warned about the dangers of protectionist fervor. Indeed, they’ve been much more angered by actions Trump has taken than by any specific action taken in the Obama administration. (They were, however, often disappointed in the failure of President Barack Obama and members of Congress to accomplish specific items.)

Keen business leaders are sobering up to the real possibility that there will be no tax reform, maybe not even a tax cut. Congress has its hands full preventing a default, keeping the government open and sending relief to Hurricane Harvey victims. So if any of the country’s top business executives were supportive of Trump because they thought he would be good for their businesses, they received a rude introduction to Trumpism over the past seven months. Trump’s fixation on white grievance leads him to do things that tear at the fabric of our society and hurt our diverse workforce. That is bad for business. His ignorance about science, labor economics and the world in general lead to rash decisions and conflicts with even (especially) our allies. Business doesn’t like that, either.

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Only right-wing ideologues think that all business leaders want are tax cuts and deregulation. That’s what the ideologues want. Actual business leaders want predictability, international calm and robust trade, a trained and accessible workforce, and good infrastructure. They are in many respects much more in tune with the nation’s zeitgeist than are Washington politicians who cocoon themselves in their news of choice and visit their deep red (or blue) districts. Business leaders of international companies see the country as a whole and are exquisitely sensitive to their companies’ reputations. As consumerism becomes as much about self-labeling (I’m the sort of person who buys only the products of environmentally responsible companies) as the product itself, they’ve become rather acute watchers of public opinions.