Ex-president 'meandering' and 'doesn't know what he's talking about' during CEO meeting with Trump.

• This week, several attendees informed CNBC that former President Donald Trump did not meet everyone's expectations in a gathering of top CEOs.
• One CEO in the room stated that Trump lacks knowledge on the topic he is discussing.
• According to Andrew Ross Sorkin, co-host of CNBC's "Squawk Box," several CEOs stated that Trump's speech was disjointed and lacked focus.

At the Business Roundtable's quarterly meeting, former President Donald Trump did not meet everyone's expectations, according to multiple attendees, as reported by CNBC.

According to a person who heard an executive speaking in the room, one CEO stated that Trump doesn't have a clear understanding of the topics he discusses, and he did not provide any details on how he intends to implement his policy proposals, the CEO said.

CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin reported Friday on "Squawk Box" that several CEOs stated that Trump's speech was disjointed and lacked focus.

The Trump campaign spokesperson did not respond to CNBC's request for comment on the CEOs' remarks.

According to two people in the room who spoke to CNBC, Trump provided little information on how he would reduce taxes and decrease business regulations.

Those who attended the meeting and spoke with them were granted anonymity to discuss the private event openly.

According to Sorkin, the CEOs who were struck by Trump's lack of focus "entered the meeting with a Trump supporter-ish mindset or considering that they might lean that way."

Sorkin stated that these individuals were likely to be more predisposed to Trump, but they left the room less predisposed to him.

According to two people in the room, Trump's energy in the meeting was noticeably subdued, and there was no noticeable applause for him during his remarks, attendees told CNBC.

In contrast to Trump's animated and engaged meeting with House Republicans earlier in the day on Capitol Hill, attendees at that meeting told CNBC that the former president received several rounds of applause in separate meetings Thursday with both House and Senate Republicans.

One attendee of the Business Roundtable event told CNBC that Trump's low-key energy could have been intentional, as he wanted the CEO meeting to be more like a business meeting than a speech.

"During the discussion, he mentioned his plan to reduce the corporate tax rate from 21% to 20% and was questioned about his choice of 20%. He replied, "It's a round number.""

Sorkin reported that the situation had many CEOs shaking their heads.

In 2023, federal revenues received approximately $420 billion from corporate income taxes, as reported by the Congressional Budget Office.

President Joe Biden's aggressive antitrust enforcement, pharmaceutical price caps, and progressive tax policy have been met with resistance from Wall Street over the past three years.