Both the Cleveland Clinic and the American Cancer Society on Thursday canceled upcoming events scheduled to be held at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, amid backlash over Trump’s comments on the violence in Charlottesville, Va., this week.
“After careful consideration, Cleveland Clinic has decided that it will not hold a Florida fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago in 2018,” the Cleveland Clinic said in a statement on Thursday, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “We thank the staff of Mar-a-Lago for their service over the years.”
On the same day, the American Cancer Society said it would move its 2017 Island of Palm Beach gala from Trump’s club, the Washington Post reported.
“Our values and commitment to diversity are critical as we work to address the impact of cancer in every community,” the group said in a statement to the Post. “It has become increasingly clear that the challenge to those values is outweighing other business considerations.”
Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove was part of Trump’s strategic and policy forum, which disbanded this week in the wake of the President’s remarks defending people who were linked to white supremacist groups and saying “both sides” deserved blame for the recent violence in Charlottesville.