Pro-Trump supporters invade the United States Capitol after a meeting with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Samuel Corum | Getty Images
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and other American business leaders called for an end to the violence on the United States Capitol and asked President Donald Trump and others to come forward.
The head of the largest US bank in assets “strongly condemned” the disturbances in Washington, where thousands of supporters of the president attacked the Capitol on Wednesday.
“We are not like that as a people or as a country,” said Dimon in a statement. “We are better than that. Our elected leaders have a responsibility to call for an end to the violence, to accept the results and, as our democracy has done for hundreds of years, to support the peaceful transition of power.”
Although Dimon’s statement did not specifically mention the president, comments from the Business Roundtable, a group of executives to which he belongs and led, specifically called for Trump’s intervention.
“The chaos that unfolds in the country’s capital is the result of illegal efforts to overturn the legitimate results of a democratic election,” said the organization. “The country deserves better. The Business Roundtable calls on the President and all relevant authorities to end the chaos and facilitate the peaceful transition of power.”
Other leaders in finance and technology spoke. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said that Americans need to “start reinvesting” in democracy and rebuilding American institutions.
“For years, our democracy has built a reservoir of goodwill around the world that brings important benefits to our citizens,” Solomon said in a statement. “We recently wasted that goodwill at a rapid pace and today’s attack on the United States Capitol is doing even more damage. It is time for all Americans to come together and move forward with a peaceful transition of power.”
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, said in a statement that “illegality and violence” on Capitol Hill were the “antithesis of democracy”.
Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said that “behavior in Washington, DC today is unacceptable and completely undermines who we are as a nation.” He called for an “immediate end to this violence”.
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan made the following statement: “Today’s terrible events in our country’s capital underscore the urgent need for all Americans to come together behind one of our most cherished principles: the peaceful transfer of power that has happened without interruption since the founding of our country. “
Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat also expressed his opinion, saying he was “disgusted” by the disturbances, but expressed hope for a peaceful solution.
“Although these scenes are very difficult to watch, I have faith in our democratic process and I know that the important work of Congress will continue and that people will be held responsible for their actions,” he said in a statement. “I pray that this situation can be resolved without further bloodshed.”
Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest money manager, called the attack on Capitol “an attack on our nation, our democracy and the will of the American people”.
“The peaceful transfer of power is the basis of our democracy. We are who we are as a nation because of our democratic institutions and processes,” added Fink.
Trump finally made a statement calling for order. However, it followed more unsubstantiated allegations by the president about an election that he claims was stolen from him. Trump supporters filed about 60 lawsuits alleging fraud and lost all but one.
Earlier in the day, members of Congress debated the challenges raised against individual states as the electoral certification process progressed.
“You have to go home now. We have to have peace,” tweeted Trump. “We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”