Michael Dell Goes To Washington And He's Keen On Trump's Growth Agenda, Repatriation

Dell Technologies Chairman and CEO Michael Dell is optimistic about his company's prospects under President Donald J. Trump's administration, but the man that leads the largest privately held IT firm in the world also appears to be taking a wait-and-see approach.

"Great discussing growing [the U.S.] economy this morning with @POTUS," Dell tweeted Monday. "Always fun to see @WhiteHouse filled with @DellTech."

Dell was part of a White House meeting with Pres. Trump Monday that also included Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk, and the chief executives of Ford Motor Co., Johnson & Johnson, Corning and other large firms.

Related: IT Executives Afraid To Admit Trump Inaugural Participation, Partners Say Political Talk Is Off Limits With Customers

Dell shared his thoughts on the Trump administration last week in an interview with Bloomberg. The CEO had been mum on the presidential election, but said some of the things Pres. Trump has mentioned bode well for Dell's future.

The administration, Dell said, "is talking about growth and talking about infrastructure spending, tax reform and repatriation, things that are pro-growth. I think you'll see our company and companies like ours across all industries bring capital back onto the balance sheet of the United States, which is likely to be a good thing," he said, referring to Pres. Trump's desire to help U.S. firms "repatriate" overseas earnings without harsh tax penalties.

"We don't know what the (trade) rules are going to be, so we'll have to wait and see, but generally a pro-growth administration is going to be quite positive."

Dell EMC solution providers share some of Dell's cautious optimism and his wait-and-see attitude.

Mark McKeever, a partner at Tempe, Ariz.-based Dell EMC partner MicroAge, said he expects the Trump administration bring fresh viewpoints to the White House. "Trump's going to bring a very different philosophy to the White House than [former Pres. Barack] Obama," he said. "Whether that's good, I don't know. As a businessman, I wouldn't say I was particularly partial to Obama. I don't know if Trump will be any better. I hope so."

In a recent survey, solution providers told CRN recently that they expect to add jobs under a Trump administration, but also said the political climate in the U.S. has made political discussions virtually off-limits.

id
unit-1659132512259
type
Sponsored post