Kenneth Frazier, the chairman and chief executive officer of the pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. and until recently a member of President Donald Trump's American Manufacturing Council, abruptly quit the administration's advisory committee following Trump's response to right-wing violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Frazier announced his resignation from the committee in a tweet on the Kenilworth-based corporation's official Twitter account Monday morning.

“I am resigning from the President's American Manufacturing Council,” Frazier, who is African-American, said. “Our country's strength stems from its diversity and the contributions made by men and women of different faiths, races, sexual orientations and political beliefs.