Chief executives say they expect that the biggest change with Joe Biden’s administration won’t be sweeping new policies but a more predictable relationship with the White House.
Many corporate leaders view Mr. Biden as a centrist on business issues and foresee a quieter, less publicly turbulent relationship with the White House over the next four years—even if they don’t always agree with the administration’s policies.
That dynamic would be a switch from the Trump years, a period in which CEOs got much of what they wanted from Washington, along with no small amount of agita from swings in trade policies and occasional lashings from President Trump’s Twitter feed.
“It’s going to be easier because it is going to be more stable,” said Peter Anthony, CEO of UGN Inc., an auto-parts supplier with about 2,200 employees based outside Chicago, who added that he sees Mr. Biden as a centrist. “Business leaders are going to know what they’re going to get when they meet with him. If you know the rules of the game, you can play the game.”
Executives expect the public scars of the 2020 election to linger for some time. The divisive race, capped by several intense days as the nation awaited results, prompted a number of business leaders to call on Mr. Biden to focus his first months in office on bringing the country together.
