TRENTON — President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily restricting travel from seven majority-Muslim countries prompted Comcast to give its employees paid time off to protest.
Trump’s order sparked protests around the country and elicited rebukes from a handful of CEOs of companies that employ tens of thousands of U.S. workers, including Bill Ford, CEO of Ford Motor Company, who took to the airwaves to say the ban “goes against our values as a company.”
Comcast, one of the nation’s largest telecommunications and media conglomerates, went a step further by giving employees the opportunity to protest.
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“We understand that some of our employees are concerned and we respect their desire to express their opinions,” Comcast spokesman John Demming said in a statement.
“Our primary focus is to make sure that all of our employees feel safe in their jobs, including while traveling,” he said. “We have assured our employees that no one will be asked to travel to a place that would result in them feeling vulnerable in any way.”
Employees were given time off regardless of whether they were in favor or against the executive order.
New Jersey 101.5 reported top Comcast officials, including its chief technology officer, supported protesting Trump’s order.
Trump’s order sparked backlash from local and state officials.
Gov. Chris Christie, a longtime Trump friend and adviser, said he believed “the president’s intentions here were right.” But he argued Trump “deserved much better with the rollout than he’s gotten,” suggesting he could be better served by his advisers.
“The rollout of this executive order was terrible,” Christie said.
Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook.
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