with the great jack welch, the legendary jack welsh. we appreciate it. we are looking in the upcoming few moments to discuss all of the things that you think we can do to bring back our jobs to get taxes even lower than what we have been cutting down. we have a great plan. i want to have your input on the plan. inant to know we have to do terms of regulation. we have some bankers here. there is no one else better to tell me about stock price and jamie. but we expect you to be cutting a lot, because i have a lot of money, who cannot borrow a lot of banks will not let them borrow money because of the rules and regulations. it will be talking about changing the rules to that. i want to introduce someone i have known for a long time. we're thinking of having [indiscernible] on ank we will start monthly basis and go to a quarterly basis. -- we have the biggest, brightest in the world, in this country. manufacturing setup, which is worldwide. these of the biggest and best minds in this country, and i would like to think steve for being here. would you like to

we have gentleman jack welch. looking forward to in a little while to discuss all of the things that you think we can do to bring back our jobs, to get taxes even lower than we're going to be cutting them. we have a great plan but i want to have your input on the plan in particular, and to do what we have to do in terms of regulation. we have some of the bankers here. nobody better to tell me about dodd-frank so you'll tell me about it but we expect to be cutting a lot out of dodd-frank because i have so many people, friends of mine that have nice businesses businesses and can't borrow money because the banks just won't let them borrow because of the rules and regulations in dodd-frank so we'll talk about that in terms of the banking industry. and with that i just want to introduce somebody i have nope for a long time, done a fantastic job, and we're thinking of having these meetings -- start making on a monthly basis, going a quarterly basis because monthly basis sounds like a lot, but we really want youren -- yo

we did hear from jack welch with andrew. think this sort of underscores that it's hard to overstate the optics and the somebody assistance according to some of these men and women in the room. jack welch calling it the best meeting of the kind he has ever had in his more than 30 years of going down to the white house. >> a lot of that depends on your politics. some ceos come in predisposed to agree with the president and the things he has been doing. jack welch, i talked to him on the way into the meeting and said what are you going to tell the president today? he said i'm going to tell him to keep on going, do what he's doing. a ceo who already agrees with this president will be energized by a meeting like this. other ceos who disagree with him, or are having tougher issues in terms of immigration and other things will be a little more trepidatious, if that's even a word. >> to that point, jack welch himself wasn't always on team trump. there were times he waivered. >> right. >> he certainly emerged enjoying the conversatio

jack welch on that.ion to his reaction that we got to be careful with this sort of stuff after this. . . neil: all right, called the border tax. it could raise a lot of money. some ceos like it. others are worried that it gets to be sweeping and global in nature, can boomerang on you. jack welch, his thoughts. were any in that room keen on tax cuts and renewing dodd-frank, but others worried about this talk of a border tax or what have you. any consensus in the room on that? >> no, but there was good give-and-take on the subject, back and forth. we talked about everything you can think about on taxes, on regulatory reform, on the women's issues in the work place. this guy was rolling up his sleeves and talking about the issues, and his depth of knowledge on every issue was amazing. neil: do you notice how deftly jack welch did not answer my question whether it was a good idea or not. i know this fellow well, john stossel, fox business network star, big libertarian. john, this notion, and this is where i

. >> jack welch. >>. >> mark weinberger, someday. >> jane brunetti, ibm. [inaudible] okay. thank you very much. thank you for. >> this weekend, c-span's city tour along with our comcast cable partners look forward to the literary life of california saturday at noon eastern, tv, timber man has with his book all he will call you about the 1948 plane crash in california that killed 32 people including 28 mexicanmigrant workers . >> when a plane crash in 1948, the news went across the country, woody guthrie was in new york at the time and of course one of the great sort of rebellious full icons that he is, he heard the news reports so he wrote a poem about it and said goodbye to my one, goodbye rosalie. maria, you won't have a name when you ride out the airplane, all they will call you will be deportees. >> learn about the life of david matsumoto , author of the sun, atlantic newsletter, he tells his personal story about childhood, race, identity, and california's central valley. >> they had a very vibrant agricultural, partly because when the immigrants first came this was the

we have the great jack welch. legendary jack welch. we appreciate it.ng forward in a little while in the upcoming few moments to discuss all of the things that you think we can do to bring back our jobs, to get taxes even lower than we're going to be cutting them. we have a great plan. but i want your input on the plan in particular, and to do what we have to do in terms of regulation. we have some of the bankers here. there is nobody better to tell me about dodd-frank than jamie. you will tell me about it. but we expect to be cutting a lot out of dodd-frank, frankly i have so many people, friends of mine with nice business, they can't borrow any money, because the banks won't let them borrow because of rules and regulations in dodd-frank. so we'll be talking about that in terms of the banking industry. and with that i just want to introduce somebody i've known for a long time. he has done a fantastic job. we're thinking of in these meetings we'll start maybe on monthly basis. it will go to quarterly basis. all of sudden monthly basis sounds like a lot.

we have great jack welch. legendary jack welch. we appreciate it. looking forward in a little while in the upcoming few moments to discuss all of the things that you think we can do to bring back our jobs to get taxes lower than we're even cutting them. and to do what we have to do in terms of regulation, we have some of the bankers here. there's nobody better to tell me about dodd/frank than jamie, so you're going to tell me about it. we expect to be cutting a lot out of dodd/frank. i have so many friends of mine have nice businesses can't borrow any money because the banks just won't let them borrow because of the rules and regulations and dodd/frank. so we'll be talking about that. in terms of the banking industry. with that i want to introduce somebody i've known for a long time. he's done a fantastic job. and we're thinking of -- i think we'll start maybe on a monthly basis and then go to quarterly basis because a monthly basis sounds like a lot, but we really want your input. we have the biggest, the brightest in the world in this country and

ago from jack welch, he said the role of the ceo, you're the head cheerleader.nk of a better head cheerleader for america than donald trump. i think that is what he is trying to start, think america first and, promote jobs and opportunities here. liz: john tatum gets to go to a hot party tonight with bruno mars. >> and charlie gasparino. liz: charlie is supposed to land any hour now. you can bet the action behind me will heat up. great to see you. >> thank you, liz. liz: john tatum of genesco, wonderful to have you. the dow is really looking good on this friday. nasdaq is on track for a record close. the number to watch? 5660.7. folks, we are above it by about five points. with the dow above 20,000 today, blockbuster jobs report and all kinds of efforts by the administration to perhaps dismantle certain regulations imposed by former president barack obama, two clear touchdowns for the street. here in houston, it is only 48 hours until the big game but the party is just getting started. all the action and auction stuff to you live. stick around. more on "countdow

jack welch, former ceo and chairman of general electric. here is what he had to say about that spirit you're talking about, tyler. >> i've been coming down here since 1980. in these meetings. and this is the first one where i had an engaged president deeply into it. this was the most exciting presidential meeting that i have ever been in. >> you know, tax, trade, regulation, infrastructure. all these issues were discussed, including one that's been a bit of a headline and an over -- lit bill of a cloud overhanging this meeting, immigration in the executive order that took place. uber's decision to step away from this council. we talked to steve schwartzman moments ago about that decision. of course, he is the one who convened the meeting and brought kalnick into the meeting. >> his business was being very adversely affected. he had discontent among his employees and this group actually takes a lot of time. and he basically said i'm encountering too much in the way of headwinds. >> final issue to mention, mark weinberger was with us and it's

i want to show you a clip from jack welch who has been on both sides of donald trump as a supporter and at some point a detractor during the campaign. here's what he had to say. >> i've been coming down here since 1980 in these meetings, and this is the first one where i had an engaged president deeply into it. this was the most exciting presidential meeting that i've ever been in. >> one of the other issues, of course, that has hung over this meeting is that of immigration. travis kalinick of uber pulling out of the council meeting announcing he couldn't go through with it given the problems and pressure he had been under, both by employees and customers. we asked steve schwartzman of blackstone who put this group together about travis's decision to step away. >> i think travis was in a really difficult spot. his business was being very adversely affected. he had discontent among his employees and this group actually takes a lot of time. >> reporter: right. >> you no he -- you know, he basically said i'm encountering too much in head winds. would you mind if i step down? >> reporter:'

we have the great jack welch. we appreciate it.oking forward in a little while in the upcoming few moments to discuss all of the things that you think we can do to bring back our jobs, to get taxes even lower than we are going to be coming down. we have a great plan but i want to have your input on the plan in particular. and to do what we have to do in terms of regulation. we have some of the bankers here. nobody better to tell me about dodd frank than jamie. you'll tell me about it. we expect to be cutting a lot out of dodd frank. frankly, i have so many friends of mine that have nice businesses that can't borrow money. they can't get any money because the banks just won't let them borrow because of the rules and regulations in dodd frank. we'll be talking about that with the banking industry and with that i just want to introduce somebody i've known for a long time. done a fantastic job and we're thinking of in these meetings we'll start maybe on a monthly basis, it will go to a quarterly bases because of a sudden monthly basis

former general electric jack welch on the tax form and the obama care changes and the media coverage of the president. >> one of the things the president said, jack, i'm going to follow up with tax and health bills soon. he didn't specify what "soon" would be. many say taking on this repeal and replacement of the affordable care act, better known as obamacare, was too big a herculean task early on and the priorities should be on the tax cuts rather than junking that and eventually finding a replacement. what do you think? >> that -- there was no prioritization. >> neil: how do you feel. if you had your priorities set. >> i think health care could slow the whole wheel down. >> neil: yeah. >> getting -- the democrats own this issue. the republicans have to be careful that they don't end up owning it quickly. >> neil: jack, you know, the president has been critical of the press. meetings like this are turned into a negative press story if they're covered at all in much length. i wonder if someone in your days of ge and included nbc and cnbc and other media entities, how do you feel about

useful meeting -- >> the lineup is impressive, jpmorgan chase, general motors, walmart, pepsi, ibm, jack welch, used to own nbc. >> tesla. >> federal reserve bank. >> you also have uber -- >> not there. >> said i'm not going. obviously people were deleting their apps and he said i didn't want to give the impression i'm going. and lelon musk saying this isn t about having a seat at the table. >> people thought uber wasn't strong enough and when the taxis went on strike at jfk and people felt like they were trying to break the strike. it was largely a misunderstands but people expect uber to sometimes be on the wrong side of things. they were chasing after reporters' information and women were complaining that drivers could be abusive to women. he felt the heat and said i don't want to be associated with this. they deal with a demographic that sometimes isn't going to be supportive of president trump. generally speaking ceos say i'd rather have a seat at the table than not have a seat at the table. >> president trump has made a calculated decision that having all of this out on television is goo

. >> jack welch. [ inaudible ]. >> jennie remay, ibm. >> thank you very much. you, for example, thank you, press. >> that is president trump and his business advisory council you saw seated next to him, steven schwartsman and mary bara on the or side of him. mostly we heard from the president the polite introductions. he was asked about iranian sanctions and he did respond to that question. a lot in that room were not big fans of president trump. why do you think they're at the white house now? >> you can see those people in the room, whether you're talking mary barra, larry fink, steve blackstone, what you could hear were cameras click, click, clicking. when does the rubber meet the road? i spoke to people who were in the room, went to the oval office with him, they never got down to brass tacks. they continued to talk about crowd sizes and general business. but as far as what is going to be the mission here, we heard gary cone just before the meeting step out and speak. and where he said we have the best, most highly capitalized banks in the world, now is the

we have the great, legendary jack welch, we appreciate it. we're looking forward in a little while, in the upcoming few moments, to discuss all of the things you think we can do to bring back our jobs, to get taxes even lower than we're going to be cutting them. we have a great plan but i want your input on the plan in particular. and to do what we have to do in terms of regulation. we have some of the bankers here, nobody better to tell me about dodd/frank than jamie. you're going to happtell me abo it. we expect to cut a lot out of dodd/frank. i have friends who can't start businesses because the banks wouldn't let them borrow because of rules and regulations and dodd/frank. so we'll be talking about that in terms of the banking industry. and with that, i just want to introduce somebody i've known for a long time, he's done a fantastic job. we're thinking of havimaybe stag on a monthly basis, and go to a quarterly basis, because monthly sounds like a lot. we want your input. we have the biggest, the brightest in the world, in this country,

white house happily for meetings with the president who have since come out and said things like jack welch our network, that it was the best meet that he has had in the 30 or 40 or however many years it has been that he has been going to the white house. the ceo of auto zone the other day came out and told this network that it was the first time that he could remember that people from history had been invited into a conversation in the white house. clearly these are people who are thinking about far greater things than financial engineering or this, that, and the other thing. and really do have their eye on the big picture and what this more seemingly open to business white house could truly mean for their own industries if not this country at large. >> there's nothing wrong with that. kudos to president trump for sitting there and talking to them. but it doesn't change what's going to happen, you know, technological -- from a technological perspective in this country. it's not the job of the ceo of any given company to take the responsibility of the entire country. that's the job of the p

jack welch, retired ge. he's got a star-studded cast but one quick question, you don't have uber, because he decided not to go. correct? >> it's a really interesting fact he decided not to go from uber. dan brought up earlier what a mistake it is because you have a chance to sit with the president and elon musk along with other tech ceos who are feeling the pressu to push back on the ban, the travel ban, given who their employees are, elon musk came out and said i have a chance to have the president's ear. i'm going to get to discuss with him the issues that matter most, and travis from uber's position was, i never met the guy before. i don't know that this is going to be a policy forum where we'll go back and forth. let's be honest, donald trump's had a whole lot of meetings. they look in large part like photo opportunities. last monday when he met with the manufacturing ceos the cameras were only in the room for a short portion of it. i spoke to people in the room when they left the roosevelt room and went

i don't know if you got a chance to hear jack welch who has baseball on one side.ing for him not to run. he said he's been coming to meetings like this since 1980, never been like this, back and forth the way they ask questions, the way the president would dig in on details and even the body language. people see obama in 2008, the anxiety. this was not that. >> i did hear from another ceo who was not in trump's camp ahead of this who said, look, he actually listened. e likesotis,s, we, ye o eaanhageaiicke it t rd do.e id...the beer reuenh sptptorprpr y f fmbt n 5 n. e likesotis,s, udhot ak fromforeakitoseyleshti higpricil ict g.tchildgl) >>> coming up, the drug pricing debate. president trump meeting with pharma executives to talk pricing. express scripts ceo tim wentworth next. ♪ sfoet. >>> good morning, everybody. welcome back to "squawk box" on cnbc. live from market site in times square. among stories front and center walt disney bob iger may be staying on longer than plan. according to "wall street journal" he may extend his term. no successor in sight after d

to talk to steven szwarzman of blackstone about the meeting with a number of others, including jack welch talk us to about what took place during the meeting and his views on what's happening with the administration. that's what's going on here in washington. >> andrew, thank you. obviously this is where we're going to be focused today. all these ceos who are right there in the white house. andrew is going to be covering it all day. great to see you. we'll continue to follow you through the afternoon. >>> when we return on "squawk box," there are a record number of job openings in the construction industry, but it's not all good news. m r wn sharr trow can stgi with thousanader binedf s hi whdoyojuinkowis, >>> big jobs friday. time to find out where the jobs are. this month we're focusing on construction. kate rogers is live in louisiana. kate? >> reporter: hey there, steve. that's right. donald trump is promising to rebuild america in a big way from roads to bridges to energy pipelines, which is great news for the already booming construction industry, which has added 1.3 million jobs ov