Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Samuel Corum | Getty Images
J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and other American business leaders called for an end to the violence at the Capitol and asked President Donald Trump and others to step up.
The head of the biggest bank by assets in the U.S. issued a statement condemning the situation in Washington, where thousands of the president’s supporters charged the Capitol and remained there through the afternoon Wednesday.
“I strongly condemn the violence in our nation’s capital. 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, accept the results, and, as our democracy has for hundreds of years, support the peaceful transition of power.”
While Dimon’s statement did not specifically mention the president, remarks from the Business Roundtable, a group of executives to which he belongs and has led, did call specifically on Trump step in.
“The chaos unfolding in the nation’s capital is the result of unlawful efforts to overturn the legitimate results of a democratic election,” the organization said. “The country deserves better. Business Roundtable calls on the President and all relevant officials to put an end to the chaos and to facilitate the peaceful transition of power.”
Later in the day, Trump did make a statement asking for order.
However, it accompanied more unsubstantiated claims from the president about an election he claims was stolen from him. Trump’s supporters have filed some 60 lawsuits claiming fraud and lost all but one.
Earlier in the day, members of Congress debated challenges brought against individual states as the election certification process moved forward.
“You have to go home now. We have to have peace,” Trump said in the statement released on his Twitter account. “We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt.”
Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat also weighed in, saying he was “disgusted” by the protests at the Capital but expressed hope for a peaceful resolution.
“While these scenes are very difficult to watch, I have faith in our democratic process and know that the important work of Congress will continue and that people will be held accountable for their actions,” he said in a statement. “I pray this situation can be resolved without further bloodshed.”
