The former president made his pitch shortly after White House chief of staff Jeff Zients sat for an interview before the CEOs. 

Zients stepped in for President Biden, who the Business Roundtable said last week was also invited, but is currently in Italy for the Group of Seven summit. 

Trump was interviewed by Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, who previously directed his National Economic Council, and Zients was interviewed by Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, per another person familiar with the meeting. 

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act lowered the corporate tax rate to 21 percent, among other changes.  

The former president said he wants to make the cuts in his signature tax bill permanent and bring the corporate tax rate down to 20 percent, Jason Miller, a Trump campaign spokesperson, told The Hill. 

Miller also said Trump talked at length about his service industry tip tax exemption plan, which he proposed Sunday at a Las Vegas rally, and that it was well-received. 

A Business Roundtable spokesperson declined to comment on the closed-door, off-the-record meeting. 

Trump’s tax message draws a stark contrast with Biden, who has called for tax increases for billionaires and large companies, as the November election draws closer. 

When a CEO asked Zients how Biden thinks raising the corporate tax rate could affect business competitiveness, he said the country needs more revenue and a stable fiscal situation but that the administration thinks they can do so in a way that maintains competitiveness and investment in the U.S., another personal familiar with the meeting told The Hill.

Business Roundtable represents CEOs from major U.S. companies. Notable attendees at the event included Apple CEO Tim Cook, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, Proctor & Gamble CEO Jon Moeller and Cisco Systems CEO Chuck Robbins, according to a source. 

The Hill’s Taylor Giorno has more here.