WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A second business executive quit an advisory panel of U.S. President Donald Trump's Monday over his remarks on the weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
"I love our country and company. I am stepping down from the council to focus on inspiring and uniting through power of sport," sport equipment giant Under Armour's CEO Kevin Plank said in a statement.
Plank is the second top business executive to exit the the American Manufacturing Council, an advisory panel set up in January under an initiative aimed at creating jobs.
"We are saddened by #Charlottesville. There is no place for racism or discrimination in this world," he said in a previous tweet.
Kenneth Frazier, the CEO of pharmaceutical giant Merck, announced his resignation earlier Monday.
The moves by the executives are reportedly in response to Trump's initial comments on the deadly clashes in Charlottesville that have claimed three lives.
Trump said "many sides" have displayed "hatred, bigotry and violence," sparking sharp criticism for stopping short of a clear-cut condemnation against white supremacist groups.
Trump on Monday stepped up his rhetoric, calling the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists as "criminals and thugs."
White supremacist groups gathered in Charlottesville Friday evening to protest the city's decision to remove a statue of Civil War Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a park. The rally evolved into clashes on Saturday before local authorities declared a state of emergency in the city.
