Corporations are telling Mitch McConnell’s wife Elaine Chao it’s ‘too soon’ to get a job because she worked as Trump’s transportation secretary
Corporate America has snubbed former President Donald Trump’s Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao telling her it’s ‘too soon’ to join prestigious corporate boards, as even cabinet officials who split from the ex-president are having trouble finding work.
The Washington Post reported on the development Wednesday, quoting several unnamed headhunters. Top executives, The Post reported, feared receiving backlash for bringing individuals on board from Trumpworld.
And not even Chao’s decision to quit after January 6 – or the fact that she’s married to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who also split from Trump – have seemingly improved her prospects.
Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is being snubbed by corporate America, headhunters told The Washington Post, being told it’s ‘too soon’ to come back after serving in the Trump administration
Elaine Chao (right) stands alongside President Trump (center right), Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (center left) and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn (left) in 2017. Headhunters have tried to reach out to get Chao on corporate boards and haven’t had success
Elaine Chao (right) is married to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (left), who also broke from former President Donald Trump over his decision to contest the election. She quit the Transportation Secretary job a day after the Capitol riot
Chao was the first female Asian-American cabinet secretary when she became President George W. Bush’s Secretary of Labor in 2001.
After the Bush years she was invited to serve on boards including Dole Foods, Protective Life and Wells Fargo, The Post reported.
Chao went back into government and served as Trump’s one and only Transportation Secretary until January 7, the day after the Capitol riot.
‘Our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the President stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed. As I’m sure is the case with many of you, it has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside,’ Chao wrote in her resignation letter.
She was the first cabinet official to quit in the wake of the insurrection.
One source close to Chao pushed back on the idea that she had been blocked from rejoining corporate America.
Elaine Chao was the first cabinet official to resign after the January 6 MAGA attack on the U.S. Capitol, calling it a ‘traumatic and entirely avoidable event’
‘She’s evaluating a number of invitations to join various corporate boards while helping former colleagues land as well,’ the source told The Post. ‘She’s interested in new economy companies, has already accepted board positions and is currently in various stages of finalizing agreements with them and others.’
Chao declined to give The Post comment.
While only a handful of people serve on a president’s cabinet, thus making comparisons difficult, the newspaper pointed out that four former Bush officials had already joined corporate boards by April 2009.
Zero Trump cabinet officials have been named as new or prospective board members for the S&P 500 companies that have already filed 2021 investor disclosure reports.
About half of those reports have been filed.
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