Jamie Dimon was not surprised by Donald Trump winning the presidential election in November – even though he had privately backed Kamala Harris.
The JPMorgan Chase CEO yesterday said he travelled all around the US and felt that Americans did not want to be ‘lectured to’ by the government.
Speaking to Lesley Stahl in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the billionaire banker responded with a definitive ‘no’ when asked if he was shocked by the result.
‘People were angry at the – what do they call it? – the state, the swamp…ineffective government,’ Dimon said as the reason he thought Trump won.
‘People wanted kind of more pro-growth and pro-business policies. They didn’t want to be lectured to on social policies continuously.’
He continued: ‘I think it’s the lecturing part of it – the social superiority, it’s the “My way or the highway.”
‘I traveled around the country. I felt it wherever I went.’
The 68-year-old’s comments come after he refused to endorse either candidate in the election last year, despite reportedly privately backing Vice President Kamala Harris.
Speaking to Lesley Stahl in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the billionaire banker said he was not surprised by Donald Trump winning the presidential election
His wife Judy, however, knocked doors for Harris in the swing state of Michigan the weekend before voters headed to the polls.
She also donated nearly $200,000 to the Democratic National Committee and gave the Harris campaign $3,300 – the maximum individual donation allowed to be donated to a candidate’s committee per election cycle, according to Open Secrets.
Dimon was also forced to publicly deny that he had endorsed Trump in October, after the then-presidential candidate made the false claim on his social media site Truth Social.
The billionaire banker also faced rumors during the election cycle that he could be recruited for roles in either potential administration.
But shortly following his victory, Trump declared in a Truth Social post that Dimon would not be joining his incoming administration.
‘I respect Jamie Dimon, of JPMorgan Chase, greatly, but he will not be invited to be a part of the Trump Administration. I thank Jamie for his outstanding service to our Country!’ Trump wrote on November 14.
Dimon was forced to publicly deny that he had endorsed Trump in October
President-elect Donald Trump took to Truth Social to say that JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon would not be ‘invited’ to join the second Trump White House
There was widespread grassroots support for Trump, including on social media
Dimon then pushed back soon after Trump’s post against the idea that he would have joined a team under the President-elect.
‘First of all, I wish the president well, and thank you, it’s a very nice note,’ he said at a summit in Lima, Peru.
‘But I just want to tell the president also, I haven’t had a boss in 25 years and I’m not about ready to start,’ he added.
The banker, who has an estimated net worth of around $2.6 billion, said that his industry was ‘dancing in the street’ over Trump’s win and incoming Republican majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate.
Many on Wall Street are looking forward to a second Trump administration, which they see as a boon to business.