Leaders of Wall Street's most powerful firms spoke out to condemn the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend.
J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told employees on Sunday that he and his management team were “deeply saddened by the political violence” and the attempted assassination of Trump. The shooting left one bystander dead and two others injured.
“We must all stand firm against any acts of hatred, intimidation or violence that seek to undermine or harm our democracy,” Damon said in the memo. “Only through constructive dialogue can we address the most difficult challenges facing our nation.”
Goldman Sachs The company's CEO David Solomon addressed the matter at the start of an earnings call Monday morning, calling the assassination attempt a “horrific act of violence.”
“We are grateful for his safety and we also want to express our deepest condolences to the families of those who were tragically killed and seriously injured,” Suleiman said. “This is a sad moment for our country. There is no place for violence in our politics.”
Saturday’s shooting sent shockwaves through a country preparing for a contentious November election. Wall Street firms do not officially endorse political candidates because they must deal with officials from both the Republican and Democratic parties, though their executives and employees often donate to campaigns.
Black stone The events of the weekend were a “tragedy,” CEO Larry Fink told CNBC's “Squawk on the Street” on Monday.
“But this is America’s statement 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 create hope,” Fink said.
BlackRock Inc., the world's largest asset manager, said in an email Sunday that it ran an ad in 2022 that briefly showed the suspected shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, in the background 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.
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan also addressed employees over the weekend.
“We are deeply saddened by the family of a rally attendee who died during the event,” Moynihan said in an email to staff. “Our thoughts are with former President Donald Trump, all those injured, and their families.”
— CNBC's Jim Forkin contributed to this report.
