Former President Donald Trump is disavowing a previous statement that he would consider JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon for Treasury secretary — and denied that he was considering BlackRock Inc.’s Larry Fink, too.
“I don’t know who said it, or where it came from, perhaps the Radical Left, but I never discussed, or thought of, Jamie Dimon or Larry Fink for Secretary of the Treasury,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday.
It was Trump himself who said Dimon could be a potential cabinet member. In a June 25 interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Trump talked about his recent meeting with CEOs hosted by the Business Roundtable in Washington.
“We had a great meeting. Jamie Dimon was there. I have a lot of respect for Jamie Dimon,” Trump said.
Asked if Dimon might be a future Trump Treasury secretary, Trump said, “He is somebody that I would consider, sure.”
Fink’s name surfaced in a New York Post column on Saturday, which reported that Trump was “still seeking out Fink for insights into the economy” despite their apparent political incompatibility.
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BlackRock’s use of ESG — environmental, social and governance considerations — in its investing strategies has made it a target from some on the right. Fink has criticized Trump’s economic approach.
Trump said in the Businessweek interview that he supports developing the cryptocurrency industry, an area he might find common ground with Fink and Dimon.
Fink has said he’s become a big believer in crypto. Dimon remains sceptical, telling Bloomberg Television in April that Bitcoin is “a Ponzi scheme” and a fraud. But JPMorgan Chase has made small steps toward its own dollar-backed coin, and Trump said he sees an opening. Devotees of virtual currencies are hopeful a second Trump administration would be filled by individuals looking to scale back enforcement and regulation.
“It’s a baby. It’s an infant right now. But I don’t want to be responsible for allowing another country to take over this sphere. And so I think we’re going to be good,” Trump told Businessweek. “Also, I’ve gotten to know people in the industry, they’re top-flight people. And you ask Jamie Dimon, Jamie Dimon was, you know, very negative and now all of a sudden he’s changed his tune a little bit.”
