Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol after a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Samuel Corum | Getty Images
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and other U.S. business leaders called for an end to the violence at the U.S. Capitol and called on President Donald Trump and others to step up the violence.
The head of the largest U.S. bank for assets “strongly condemned” the riots in Washington, where thousands of supporters of the president charged Wednesday against the Capitol.
“This is not what we are as a people or country,” Dimon said in a statement. “We are better than that. Our elected leaders have a responsibility to call for an end to violence, to accept the results and, as our democracy has done for hundreds of years, to support the peaceful transition of power.”
While Dimon’s statement did not specifically mention the president, statements from the Business Roundtable, a group of executives he belongs to and has led, specifically asked Trump to intervene.
“The chaos unfolding in the country’s capital is the result of illegal efforts to overturn the legitimate results of a democratic election,” the organization said. “The country deserves better. The business roundtable calls on the president and all relevant officials to end the chaos and facilitate the peaceful transition of power.”
Other finance and technology leaders spoke. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said Americans must “start reinvesting” in democracy and rebuilding US institutions.
“For years, our democracy has built a reservoir of goodwill around the world that brings significant benefits to our citizens,” Solomon said in a statement. “Recently, we have squandered this goodwill at a rapid pace, and today’s attack on the U.S. Capitol hurts even more. It’s time for all Americans to unite and move forward with a peaceful transition of power.”
Sundar Pichai, CEO of the parent company Google Alphabet, said in a statement that “illegality and violence” at the Capitol were “the antithesis of democracy.”
Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said the “behavior in Washington DC today is unacceptable and completely undermines what we are as a nation.” He called for an “immediate end to this violence.”
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said: “Today’s horrific events in our nation’s capital underscore the urgent need for all Americans to unite behind one of our most cherished principles. : the peaceful transfer of power that has taken place without interruption since the founding of our country “. “
Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat also spoke, saying he was “upset” by the riots, but expressed hope for a peaceful resolution.
“While these scenes are very difficult to see, I have faith in our democratic process and I know that the important work of Congress will continue and that the people will be held accountable for their actions,” he said in a statement. “I pray that this situation can be resolved without further bloodshed.”
Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of the Blackstone Group, said: “The insurgency that followed the president’s statements today is appalling and an affront to the democratic values we hold dear as Americans. I am shocked and horrified by the attempt to this mafia of undermining our constitution “.
Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest money manager, described the attack on the Capitol as an “assault on our nation, our democracy and the will of the American people.”
“The peaceful transfer of power is the foundation of our democracy. We are who we are as a nation because of our democratic institutions and process,” Fink added.
Trump finally made a statement asking for order. However, he accompanied more unfounded statements by the president about an election that he said was stolen from him. Trump supporters have filed about sixty lawsuits to claim fraud and have lost all but one.
Earlier in the day, members of Congress debated the challenges posed against individual states as the electoral certification process progressed.
“Now you have to go home. We have to have peace,” Trump tweeted. “We have to respect our great people for law and order. We don’t want anyone to hurt.”