9 CEOs who may fear a Donald Trump presidency





REUTERS/Chris Tilley/File Photo Donald Trump portrays himself as a business expert who, if he wins the presidency, will use his management skills to "make America great again." But some chief executives, their companies and the industries they work within may be feeling less than sanguine about a Trump presidency, given that some of his policies and positions could upend issues as wide-ranging as trade relations with China and the U.S. tax system. Of course, that's what makes his campaign appealing to millions of Americans who feel the status quo has left them with dwindling incomes and dim futures. Whether Trump has been as successful in business as he likes to project is open to debate. Indeed, he has a long list of flubs such as Trump Airlines and Trump Mortgage. His evolving views on economic, business and labor issues only add to the questions about what a Trump presidency would mean for Corporate America. Yet more traditional business-friendly GOP candidates failed to capture the fancy of many Republican voters, while Trump has offered an appealing narrative to disgruntled citizens, said Geoff Blades, a former Goldman Sachs banker and author of "The Trump Presidential Playbook: A Wizard's Path to the White House." "Trump has two great messages: We don't win anymore, and make America great again," Blades said. He added, "A lot of people question what his intentions are. I don't think anybody knows." So far, Trump has outlined policies including reforming the U.S.-China trade relationship and removing the barriers of entry for the pharmaceutical industry. Along the campaign trail, he has also taken potshots at several CEOs, which could hint at where he might focus his attention if he moves into the White House. Businesses, of course, dislike both uncertainty and controversy, two things Trump has no trouble summoning. Read on to learn more about CEOs who might lose if Trump wins in November.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Remember the Twitter war between Amazon (AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos and Trump back in December? The fight started when Trump accused Bezos of purchasing the Washington Post as a "scam" to dodge taxes. From there, the battle escalated into something out of this world, with Bezos saying he wanted to send Trump into orbit (Bezos owns a commercial space flight business). That spat could turn into something more serious for Bezos if Trump is elected, however. Earlier this month, Trump complained on Fox News that Bezos has a "huge antitrust problem." "Amazon is getting away with murder, tax-wise. He's using the Washington Post for power so that the politicians in Washington don't tax Amazon like they should be taxed," Trump said. Bezos isn't backing down, though. On Wednesday he said he has "no worries" about the scrutiny and criticism Amazon deserves. But regarding Trump, the CEO added that the New York billionaire's threats are "not an appropriate way for a presidential candidate to behave." As president, Trump would nominate the attorney general, who leads the Justice Department and oversees antitrust enforcement.

Ford CEO Mark Fields Bryan Thomas/Getty Images Trump has singled out Ford (F) for its manufacturing operations in Mexico and for outsourcing jobs. "What does that do? We don't get anything. Does Mexico come here and build factories here? We lose a fortune with every deal," Trump said. Trump said if he's elected, he'll call Fields and demand that the automaker halt plans to expand its operations in Mexico, according to Reuters. If he gets his way, Trump would tack on a 35 percent tax onto any Ford product made in Mexico and imported into the U.S. Fields has defended his company's right to invest outside the U.S. if it makes financial sense.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Andrew Burton/Getty Images Apple (AAPL) became a target of Trump's ire during the debate over the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, after the GOP candidate asked his supporters to boycott Apple products until the company agreed to help unlock the device. Apple is facing a much bigger threat than a call for a boycott, however. Trump's policy proposals include reforming the trade relationship between China and the U.S., with the goal of bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. and placing "duties on artificially cheap Chinese products." Because Apple relies on Chinese companies to manufacture its products, Trump's policies could potentially raise the cost of its operations while making its gadgets pricier for consumers. Of course, Trump's ultimate goal would be to use such leverage to force Apple to move its manufacturing operations to the U.S. "We're going to get Apple to build their damn computers and things in this country instead of other countries," he said in a speech earlier this year.

Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson Alex Wong/Getty Images Lockheed Martin (LMT) CEO Marillyn Hewson may have a problem gaining altitude if Trump is elected. That's because the Republican has vowed to shoot down the defense contractor's F-35 fighter jet if he wins in November. "When they say that this cannot perform as well as the planes we already have, what are [we] doing, and spending so much more money?" Trump said on a radio show last year. That would prove to be a financial setback for Lockheed: At a cost of $400 billion, the F-35 program is the most expensive weapons project in America's history, according to The Fiscal Times. Defense contractors may have a good news/bad news situation with a Trump presidency, however. He has also vowed to rebuild the military, while saying he wants to "look for savings," which may come from asking NATO allies to bump up their own defense spending.

New York Times Chairman and Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Andrew Burton/Getty Images The New York Times (NYT) and Donald Trump don't see eye to eye on many issues, including covering matters of public interest and public figures. Trump has vowed to "open up" libel laws so that he (and others who feel they've been wronged by the press) can sue news organizations. "So when The New York Times writes a hit piece which is a total disgrace or when The Washington Post, which is there for other reasons, writes a hit piece, we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because they're totally protected," Trump said earlier this year.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg David Ramos/Getty Images Zuckerberg is no fan of Trump's, and for a reason: His policies would hurt tech businesses like Facebook (FB) by making it harder for immigrants to get visas to work in business hubs like Silicon Valley. Zuckerberg backs the immigration reform group FWD.us, which wants to ease the path of non-U.S. workers to finding employment in America. That's contrary to Trump's plan, which involves putting up a wall on the Mexican border and ending birthright citizenship. If Trump becomes president, he would also require companies to hire American workers before turning to noncitizens, which could hamper tech companies, given their reliance on hiring highly skilled engineers and programmers from other countries.

H&R Block’s William Cobb REUTERS/Brendan McDermid H&R Block's (HRB) Cobb and other executives in the tax-prep industry may not be pleased if Trump wins -- and then succeeds in his plan to overhaul the U.S. tax system. That's because Trump wants to simplify the tax code so that millions of Americans would send in a one-page form declaring, "I win." Each form could represent a loss of income to tax-prep companies, which sell software, online programs and in-person tax help to those trying to figure out their 1040s. Single Americans making $25,000 or less and married couples earning no more than $50,000 could use the "I win" form, under Trump's plan.

Pfizer CEO Ian Read Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Trump is no fan of pharmaceutical industry, which may spell trouble for Pfizer's (PFE) Read and other drug company CEOs. Trump wants to allow consumers to buy drugs from overseas, where patients could presumably find lower prices than they can in the U.S. "Congress will need the courage to step away from the special interests and do what is right for America," according to Trump's policy. "Allowing consumers access to imported, safe and dependable drugs from overseas will bring more options to consumers." Currently, it's illegal in most cases for consumers to buy drugs from other countries.