Trump 'Very Dangerous,' Would Spark Recession, Republican CEO Meg Whitman Warns
PALO ALTO (CBS SF) – Former California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman has joined Republicans criticizing Donald Trump, saying the frontrunner would be a "very dangerous president" and his policies would spark a recession.
In an interview with CNBC on Friday, the CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise called the presidential hopeful a "dishonest demagogue" over his comments about women, Muslims and journalists.
Whitman raised concerns about the businessman's economic policies. "I think if his 35 percent – plan to put on a 35 percent tariff or goods imported into the United States from Mexico and China would sink this country into a recession," Whitman told the business network.
The CEO went on to criticize Trump's tax plan, saying it would increase the national deficit and national debt.
Whitman, who worked on the Chris Christie campaign, has also slammed the New Jersey governor for his endorsement of Trump after dropping out of the race.
While critical of the GOP frontrunner, Whitman did not say whether she would vote for a Democrat if Trump was the nominee.
"My focus right now is how can we get the message out to the American people about who Donald Trump actually is, his real record in business, what the implications of his policies would be," she said.
Whitman, who was previously CEO of eBay, ran for governor in 2010. After losing to Jerry Brown, Whitman became CEO of Hewlett-Packard in 2011. Whitman became CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise last year, after the company split its enterprise server and software business from its PC and printer business.
