Trump Hosts Calls on Reopening U.S., Drops Task Force Plan

President Donald Trump held a marathon series of calls on Wednesday with hundreds of U.S. business leaders to discuss the coronavirus outbreak, after rejecting a separate plan to create a smaller task force to advise him on reopening the economy.

As the outbreak shows signs of plateauing in the country, corporate executives have been asked to advise Trump on how to resume something approaching normal business and social life. Trump was scheduled to speak with more than 200 leaders from nearly every corner of the U.S. economy in four calls.

Several of the companies and other participants said they found out they were invited only after Trump announced their names in a Rose Garden news conference on Tuesday or from a subsequent White House statement. They said they didn’t know the format or the purpose of the calls, and some expressed doubt the exercise would be productive.