JPMorgan Chase CEO and Chairman Jamie Dimon speaks during the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee’s oversight hearing on Wall Street firms, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 6, 2023.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
The leaders of Wall Street’s most powerful firms are speaking out to condemn the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania this weekend.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told employees on Sunday that he and his management team were “deeply saddened by the political violence” and the attempt on Trump’s life. The shooting left one bystander dead and two more injured.
“We must all take strong action against any form of hatred, intimidation or violence that aims to undermine or harm our democracy,” Dimon said in the memo. “Only through constructive dialogue can we tackle our country’s toughest challenges.”
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon discussed the issue at the start of an earnings call Monday morning, calling the attempted murder a “heinous act of violence.”
“We are grateful that he is safe and would also like to extend our sincere condolences to the families of those who were tragically killed and seriously injured,” Solomon said. “It is a sad moment for our country. There is no place for violence in our politics.”
Saturday’s shooting shocked a country gearing up for disputed elections in November. Wall Street firms do not officially endorse political candidates because they deal with both Republican and Democratic officials, although their executives and employees often donate to campaigns.
Black rock CEO Larry Fink told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Monday that the weekend’s events were “a tragedy.”
“However, today it is a statement from America. We must create hope. We all have a responsibility, every political candidate, every leader, every pastor, minister, rabbi, we all have a responsibility to bring our community together for hope,” Fink said.
BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, said in an email on Sunday that it has placed an ad in 2022 in which the accused gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, appears briefly in the background with other students at Bethel Park High School.
“We will make all video footage available to the appropriate authorities and we have removed the video from circulation out of respect for the victims,” BlackRock said in a statement.
“As our leadership team communicated with colleagues last night, BlackRock strongly condemns political violence of any kind and will do our part to promote civility and unity in the country,” the company said.
— CNBC’s Jim Forkin contributed to this report.