Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini has joined a number of corporate leaders distancing themselves from President Donald J. Trump in the wake of the events in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Bertolini sent a memo to employees saying he is āashamed of our presidentās behavior and comments.ā
The memo, first obtained by CNBC, was confirmed by an Aetna spokesman.
āI strongly agree with the remarks of former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush who stated: āAmerica must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism and hatred of all forms,’ā Bertolini wrote. āI am pleased that many other political leaders from both parties have expressed similarly strong statements ā and I am ashamed of our Presidentās behavior and comments.ā
āWe can only remain great if we remain intolerant of hate,ā he added.
Bertoliniās commented as Trumpās relationship with the business community took a rocky turn after the presidentās response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend. White supremacists and counter-protesters clashed in the streets of the quaint college town, leaving one dead and dozens injured.
Trump said Tuesday āboth sidesā deserved blame for the chaos.
Numerous business leaders have condemned the presidentās comments. Several CEOs ā including United Technologies Corp. CEO Greg Hayes ā resigned from the presidentās two business panels, leading Trump to disband them earlier Wednesday.





