Dive Brief:

• JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon called on the next U.S. president to unify the country and fortify America’s role as a global leader in a Friday opinion piece published in the Washington Post.
• In the op-ed, the CEO of the biggest U.S. bank refrained from naming or endorsing either presumptive Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris or former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump. But Dimon advocated for “a president who is dedicated to the ideals that define and unite us, and who is committed to restoring our faith in America and our indispensable role in the world.”
• Dimon also made a push for the private sector to “have a seat at the table.” “In recent years, government leaders have often failed to engage those in industry,” he wrote. “A president should put the most talented people, including those from business and the opposite party, into their Cabinet.”

Dive Insight:

The stakes couldn’t be higher for the U.S., Dimon suggests. “We live in a perilous time,” he began, adding that the “deeply divided” country faces “perhaps the most complicated geopolitical situation since World War II.”

The CEO emphasized that “strong American leadership is needed to unite us and strengthen the indispensable role our country plays for the safety of the world.” 

To that end, the country’s next president should treat opposing views and critiques as opportunities to find common ground, Dimon opined. He also outlined a number of his policy desires, petitioning the next president to address the national debt, the country’s borders and an expansion of the earned income tax credit, among other tasks.

He also called for “pragmatic, smart and no-nonsense foreign policy” that aims to advance the U.S.’s economic strategy and bolster its ties with allies. “When our allies are fighting wars to defend their sovereignty and democracies, and desperately need secure and reliable energy sources, delaying long-term liquid natural gas projects in Louisiana and Texas is misguided and self-defeating,” he criticized. 

Dimon urged the next president to consider the input of rivals and “recognize that voters are all different and have good reasons to think differently. Do not insult, stereotype, weaponize, scapegoat or gaslight. And do not attack them. Engage them.” This, he said, “takes bravery.”

The 68-year-old Dimon, who’s been JPMorgan’s CEO since 2006, hasn’t been shy about voicing his concerns on the geopolitical climate, trade and America’s global leadership role. 

“I look at the world situation and I’m quite cautious,” Dimon said during the bank’s May investor day.

The op-ed expanded on some of Dimon’s thoughts in his annual shareholder letter in April, where he lamented that the U.S.’s role as a leader on the world’s stage is being challenged both by other nations and by “our polarized electorate.” 

“We need to find ways to put aside our differences and work in partnership with other Western nations in the name of democracy,” Dimon urged earlier this year. “During this time of great crises, uniting to protect our essential freedoms, including free enterprise, is paramount.”

Earlier this year, Dimon commended some of Trump’s record and suggested Democrats should be less critical of the former president’s supporters. Trump recently said he would consider Dimon – and then claimed he didn’t say that – for Treasury secretary, if elected. 

Dimon, who has deemed himself “barely a Democrat,” has donated to Democratic candidates in the past, CNBC reported. He’s also been an outspoken critic of bank regulation, which he views as increasingly costly and burdensome for lenders. 

Harris’s recent campaign ads have touted her efforts to keep big banks in check. Her 2019 autobiography detailed an occurrence where she and Dimon sparred over the proposed relief settlement for homeowners that state attorneys general were negotiating with JPMorgan and other top banks.

During the testy phone call, “we were like two dogs in a fight,” Harris wrote, according to Fortune. The CEO and the vice president had a one-on-one meeting earlier this year, the Financial Times reported.