Washington DC, United States

In what can be best described as a change of fortunes, United States President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory has made him the apple of the eyes of CEOs, executives and influential business leaders. The same executives who literally abandoned Trump following his 2020 loss against President Joe Biden are now lining up to shake his hands.

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When Trump visited the New York Stock Exchange earlier this week, CEOs and top executives of Visa, Meta Platforms, Goldman Sachs, Charles Schwab and Citadel could be spotted standing in the crowd.

Also read: Trump slams Biden government over mystery drone sightings, says 'shoot them down'

Their expectations from Trump are straight and reasonable: Getting the most out of the next commander-in-chief for their businesses by relying on personal relationships.

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According to media reports, senior c-suite executives are today eager to have a sit-down with Trump at his private Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where his transition team mostly works. According to a business consultant close to Trump, he is advising executives to find common ground to work with the incoming president, including on topics such as tax and regulatory changes.

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Even the bigger fishes, like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, are leaving no stone unturned to bury the hatchet with Trump. Zuckerberg, who was once threatened by Trump with a jail term, has donated $1 million to the incoming president’s inaugural fund, and Jeff Bezos’ Amazon has also reportedly planned a $1 million contribution.

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According to reports, Bezos is planning to travel to Trump’s club with his fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, and have dinner with the GOP leader.

Alex Conant, a partner at Firehouse Strategies, a Republican public affairs firm, was quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal, “Given the election results, there is going to be an immense amount of policymaking in Washington next year and smart CEOs realize it’s better to shape an agenda than fight an agenda.”

(With inputs from agencies)