U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue said Wednesday morning that the nation’s biggest business lobby is ready to help the incoming Donald Trump administration, offering support for a president-elect who has broken with the chamber on key policy issues.
“The chamber and its members stand ready to help the new administration and the next Congress unite our country around a mission we believe all Americans can support — to grow our economy, create jobs and lift incomes for all citizens,” Donohue said.
Donohue also called for the country to “turn the page” after a “bitter, personality-driven campaign.”
The chamber does not get involved in presidential races, although Donohue several times obliquely criticized Trump, at one point calling his statements “morally wrong and politically stupid” without mentioning the Republican by name.
Unusually for a member of the GOP, Trump split with the chamber on trade issues, as well as on immigration reform and other top priorities for businesses.
Donohue, however, said the group’s top priority this election was maintaining a “pro-business” majority in the Senate, a goal that it appears to have achieved. Eight of the 10 Senate races the chamber spent significant sums on were won by its preferred candidates.
