Source : THE AGE NEWS
By Stephen Castle
Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic, sharply criticised President Donald 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,” Branson said during a business trip to Saudi Arabia. “It’s just erratic, unpredictable, which is very, very difficult for business to deal with.”
“I’m just sad, incredibly sad”: Sir Richard Branson has publicly criticised Trump.Credit: Louise Kennerley
He added: “An unsettled world is not good for anybody. People delay decisions on investment and spending.”
Branson’s comments were striking because many business leaders have avoided direct public criticism of Trump, apparently for fear of antagonising his administration.
By contrast, 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 Trump’s decision to essentially switch sides on the Ukraine war — by warming up to Russia 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”.
Branson, one of the world’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 and the Financial Times.
The US government’s tariff announcements had, 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,” 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.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
