Pro-Trump supporters storm the 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 US business leaders called for an end to the violence in the Capitol and asked President Donald Trump and others to act.
The head of the largest US bank for assets “condemned” the riots in Washington, where thousands of supporters of the president sued the Capitol on Wednesday.
“This is not who we are as a people or a country,” Dimon said in a statement. “We are better than this. 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 transfer of power.”
While Dimon’s statement did not specifically mention the president, the comments from the Business Roundtable, a group of executives he belongs to and has led, specifically called on Trump to intervene.
“The chaos unfolding in the country’s capital is the result of illegal attempts to undo the legitimate results of a democratic election,” the organization said. “The country deserves better. Business Roundtable is calling on the president and all relevant officials to end the chaos and facilitate the peaceful transfer of power.”
Other leaders in finance and technology took the floor. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said Americans need to “reinvest” in democracy and rebuilding US institutions.
“For years, our democracy around the world has built a reservoir of goodwill that brings significant benefits to our citizens,” Solomon said in a statement. “We recently squandered that goodwill at a rapid pace, and today’s attack on the Capitol is doing even more damage. It is time for all Americans to come together and move on with a peaceful transfer of power.”
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google parent company Alphabet, said in a statement that “lawlessness and violence” in the Capitol were the “antithesis of democracy.”
Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said the “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”.
Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, 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 weighed in and said he was “disgusted” by the riots, but expressed hope for a peaceful solution.
“While these scenes are very difficult to see, I have confidence in our democratic process and know that the important work of Congress will continue and people will be held accountable 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 the Capitol an “attack 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 thanks to our democratic institutions and processes,” added Fink.
Trump eventually issued a statement asking for an order. However, it was accompanied by more baseless claims by the president about an election he believed was stolen from him. Trump supporters have filed about 60 lawsuits claiming fraud and losing all but one.
Earlier in the day, members of Congress debated the challenges being brought against individual states as the election certification process progressed.
“You have to go home now. We need peace,” Trump tweeted. “We have to respect our wonderful people in law and order. We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”