Trump hosts top CEOs with Ivanka and tells them he will cut taxes and bank regulations

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President Donald Trump met with a roomful of top CEOs at the White House – and says he tried to install other titans of industry on his executive council only to have them nixed as 'corporate raiders.'

Trump met with a group that included Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan, BlackRock CEO Laurence Fink, retired GE CEO Jack Welch – whom he called 'legendary' – and other business bigs.

As if that weren't enough financial firepower, Trump said that he tried to get other financial bigs onto the panel, which meets about once a month to advise him the economy, taxes, and regulations.

'So many people have called –friends of mine in big business,' Trump said, 'and that wanted to be on the committee.'

Billionaire Stephen Schwartzman of Blackstone private equity firm, who serves on the council, acted as gatekeeper. 

President Donald Trump met with his economic advisory council at the White House – but says he tried to get other members installed, only to have them rejected for being 'corporate raiders'

'I said, 'Steve, can we get so and so?' 

Trump said, with the CEOs gathered around him.

'Nope,' Schwartzman replied. 'What do you mean no, it's big business, massive business,' Trump pleaded, in his telling.

'How about this one?' Trump would ask.

'He's a corporate raider, these people don't want to be sitting with corporate raiders,' was Schwartzman's reply.

'He's been very very selective,' Trump said, adding: 'We'll be putting a couple more on this.'

Introducing the group, Trump hailed BlackRock investment company CEO Larry Fink for having boosted his personal bottom line through investments.

Trump is consulting his economic advisory council about bank regulations and taxes

Ernst & Young CEO Mark Weinberger talks with Ivanka Trump as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a strategy and policy forum with chief executives

President Donald Trump (R) greets General Motors CEO Mary Barra at the beginning of a policy forum in the State Dining Room

HOW ABOUT THIS MUCH? Trump said he was seeking input from the CEOs on taxes and bank regulations. He is pictured with Wal-Mart Stores CEO Doug McMillon (L) and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink

THANKS FOR THE MONEY: Trump said of BlackRock CEO Larry Fink: 'Larry did a great job for me. He managed a lot of my money and I have to tell you he got me great returns,'

SQUARE DEAL: President Donald Trump delivers opening remarks at the beginning of a policy forum with business leaders in the State Dining Room at the White House

'I see we have Larry here. Where is Larry? Larry did a great job for me. He managed a lot of my money and I have to tell you he got me great returns, Larry,' Trump said.

'These are the biggest and the best minds in the country and I really appreciate you being here,' Trump told his well-heeled guests. 

Trump also defended the idea of consulting corporate titans for ideas on how to run the economy.

'And then they go crazy when we use the very smart people that made money, why don't you get other people to run the economy. I said no we had to get the right people,' Trump said.

On policy, Trump said, 'We're going to be coming up with a tax bill very soon a health care bill even sooner.' 

Trump told the group he wanted '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.'

Trump displayed no reservations about asking some of the world's most influential bankers about their preferences for peeling back bank regulations enacted after the financial crisis.

'We have some of the bankers here. There's nobody to tell me better about Dodd-Frank than Jamie, so you're going to tell me about it, but we expect to be cutting a lot out of Dodd-Frank. 

The White House billed the event as a strategy and policy forum. 

The group's official title is the President's Strategic and Policy Forum. It has 16 members.

Absent from the event was Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick, who announced just hours before that he had quit, following pressure from consumers over Trump's new immigration order.

Trump didn't mention Kalanick during his public comments. 

The Uber boss quit the council, even as the company is facing blowback for its decision to drop its congestion pricing during a taxi boycott meant to oppose the immigration order.

He made his decision known in an email to employees, where he argued against Trump's new immigration ban.

'Earlier today I spoke briefly with the president about the immigration executive order and its issues for our community,' Kalanick wrote. 'I also let him know that I would not be able to participate on his economic council. Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that,' he added.

 Trump hailed another attendee, his Commerce Secretary nominee, billionaire Wilbur Ross.

'When I campaigned for office I promised the American people that I'd ask for our country's best and brightest, and we have that. Wilbur is representing us,' Trump said.

Trump said of close confidante and business magnate Carl Icahn, 'Carl Icahn called up and he goes, 'I heard you got Wilbur. Everybody calls him Wilbur. I've never heard him called – we just know him as Wilbur, right?''

Trump met the business honchos as he prepared to sign executive actions asking the Treasury and the Labor Departments to examine reforms to roll back regulations intended to make markets safer and protect consumers. 

The actions would examine the 'Volcker Rule,' meant to curb speculation, AFP reported.

'(We) believe that Dodd-Frank in many respects was a piece of massive government overreach,' a senior administration official told the outlet. 'It imposed hundreds of new regulations on financial institutions, it established an enormous amount of work and effort for financial firms.'