Maria Aspan

A White House official speaking to NPR in condition of anonymity largely dismisses these concerns.

and says that companies like Intel and NVIDIA are crucial to U.S.

national and economic security.

And to be sure, the U.S.

stock market is booming away.

Intel didn't respond to requests for comment.

In an emailed statement, an NVIDIA spokesperson says its discussions with President Trump have focused, quote, on his desire for America to win as a nation.

Baloo Ayers says that it's tough for business leaders to know how to stand up to Trump, especially after he's threatened some of them.

But she warns that crony capitalism can have some pretty dire consequences for the overall economy, but also for individual business leaders.

In extreme cases, like Russia, executives who fall out of favor then sometimes fall out of windows.

Russia is an extreme example.

But she hopes it's an early warning to U.S.

business leaders to stand up for free market capitalism.

if not for the sake of the economy, at least for their own long-term self-interest.

Maria Aspen, NPR News.