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[Global Times Comprehensive Report] How do CEOs of American companies view the showdown between Vice President Harris and former President Trump in the general election? The Financial Times of the United Kingdom quoted Republican consultant Ken Spahn as saying on the 19th that "given the volatile (US) political environment, many people are hedging their bets."

Harris (left) and Trump (Visual China)

The report said that although many US executives "are divided into two factions in private", they have been avoiding issues related to the presidential campaign in public over the past year. Generally, they like Republican presidential candidate Trump's emphasis on cutting regulatory costs and corporate taxes, but they are worried that he will bring disputes. When US President Biden was the presumptive presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, most US executives recognized his predictability, but believed that his government was "fundamentally anti-business." However, with Biden's withdrawal from the election last month and Vice President Harris taking over, Spaine said that the business community "shifted from preparing for the Republican administration to preparing for various results." Harris's long-term relationship with Wall Street and Silicon Valley has led some executives to believe that she may reconsider Biden's tough stance on matters such as competition, labor and financial services policies. If so, then the business community "will not be so obvious in choosing between (Democratic government) stability and (Republican government) pro-business agenda." The Democratic National Convention held this week will be the first time most business people have a real chance to see the difference between Biden and Harris' policies.

The Financial Times said that looking back, American business leaders "overwhelmingly supported Republicans". A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research showed that from 2000 to 2017, 57% of CEOs of S&P Composite 1500 companies donated to Republican presidential candidates, 19% donated to Democratic presidential candidates, and the rest donated to candidates from both parties. However, former US President Trump did not receive this level of support. Sonnenfeld, head of the Yale University CEO Leadership Institute, said that in the past eight years, only two CEOs of Fortune 100 companies disclosed donations to Trump. So far this year, American CEOs have not opened their wallets much. Data from the US Federal Election Commission showed that as of June 30, only 5 of the 221 members of the CEO lobbying group "Business Roundtable" donated to candidates from both parties.

The Financial Times quoted Ballou Ares, head of a project aimed at mobilizing business leaders to support democracy, as saying that Democratic supporters "are coming back and re-engaging." Other business people said that support for Trump is also greater than public records show.

It is reported that most CEOs remain neutral publicly, which does not mean that they are not paying attention to the election. Data from market intelligence company AlphaSense shows that since July 1, 319 US companies have mentioned the upcoming election in their earnings conference calls, almost twice as many as four years ago. (Wang Huicong)