Someone forgot to inform 3M CEO Michael Roman that politeness is a sign of weakness. This is his reaction after President Trump accused 3M of unspecified maleficence in the manufacture and delivery of N95 facemasks and used his latest club, the Defense Production Act, to tell 3M what to do:
“The narrative we aren’t doing everything we can as a company is just not true,” he said in an interview with CNBC, noting that 3M has doubled its global production of N95 masks since coronavirus hit the headlines in January. [WaPo]
As CEO of one of the largest and most successful companies in American history, he should have reprimanded Trump for lying and announced that Trump is irrelevant and a terrible leader in the face of a potentially devastating pandemic.
When dealing with bullies, it’s best to bluff and suggest the bully’s irrelevant and incompetent. Maybe they’ll open their mouth and confirm it. Heck, maybe they’ll do something actionable.
