Internet reports that, unlike Trump's first term, current U.S. business leaders have remained publicly silent about the president's trade policies, despite privately expressing strong concerns. At the Yale CEO Core Group meeting, executives attending the meeting expressed shock at the news that the Trump administration might double Canada's steel and aluminum tariffs, but during the business roundtable's Q & A session with Trump a few hours later, the CEOs avoided asking tough questions. Business leaders attending the Yale conference included Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, Michael Dell of Dell Technologies and Albert Burra of Pfizer. In an impromptu survey, 44% of CEOs said they would have to speak out collectively to criticize the president's policies until the stock market fell 20%, and another 22% believed that a 30% decline would be necessary to take a stand. Nearly a quarter of CEOs believed that it was not their duty to publicly oppose the government. According to former Medtronic CEO Bill George, many business leaders fear that public criticism will make them a target for the president and prompt him to stick to the tariff agenda. At the same time, companies 'outlook for the economy has darkened, with an IACPA survey showing that the proportion of executives who say they are optimistic about the U.S. economy has dropped from 67% in the fourth quarter of last year to 47% currently. (Jin Shi)