JPMorgan Chase CEO and Chairman Jamie Dimon speaks during the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee 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 have spoken out to condemn the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend.
JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon told employees Sunday that he and his leadership team were “deeply saddened by the political violence” and the attempted assassination of Trump. The shooting killed one bystander and injured two others.
“We must stand united and firm against any act of hate, intimidation or violence that seeks to undermine our democracy or cause harm,” Dimon said in the memo. “Only through constructive dialogue can we confront our nation's toughest challenges.”
Goldman Sachs Chief Executive David Solomon addressed the matter at the start of an earnings call Monday morning, calling the attempted murder a “horrible act of violence.”
“We are grateful that he is safe and we also want to extend our sincere condolences to the families of those who tragically lost their lives and were seriously injured,” Solomon said. “This is a sad time for our country. There is no place for violence in our politics.”
Saturday's shooting shocked a nation bracing for a close election in November. Wall Street firms do not officially endorse political candidates, as they deal with Republican and Democratic officials, though their executives and employees often donate to campaigns.
Black Rock Chief Executive Larry Fink told CNBC's “Squawk on the Street” on Monday that the weekend's events were “a tragedy.”
“It's a statement from America today. We need to 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 to bring hope,” Fink said.
BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, said in an email Sunday that it will run an ad in 2022 in which the suspected shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, appears briefly in the background along with other students from Bethel Park High School in Pennsylvania.
“We will make all video footage available to the appropriate authorities and have removed the video from circulation out of respect for the victims,” BlackRock said in a statement.
“As our leadership team communicated to colleagues last night, BlackRock strongly condemns political violence of any kind and will do its part to promote civility and unity in the country,” the firm said.
— CNBC's Jim Forkin contributed to this report.
