Rift widens between Trump and business leaders

New York

THE chief executive of Walmart, the world's largest retailer, criticised President Donald Trump in front of his 1.5 million American employees, widening a rift between the White House and the business community that has been growing since the weekend's violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"As we watched the events and the response from President Trump over the weekend, we too felt that he missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together by unequivocally rejecting the appalling actions of white supremacists," Douglas McMillon, the Walmart CEO, wrote in a letter to employees late on Monday.

The rebuke from Mr McMillon came as six other business leaders stepped down from presidential advisory councils - including two late on Monday, the CEOs of Intel and Under Armour - citing the…