Tough business for global firms under Trump

London

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump vowed to end business as usual in Washington. Global companies are now learning just what that means.

What began before his inauguration, with attempts to cajole corporations such as Toyota Motor Corp into keeping jobs in the US with critical tweets, is now escalating into a crucial test for business leaders trying to maintain the cross-border flows of people and goods that underpin commerce in the 21st century.

Mr Trump's signing of an executive order last Friday barring the citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US - on the heels of his war of words with Mexico over trade - alarmed executives from big employers including General Electric Co, Google Inc and Goldman Sachs G…