Two presidential election cycles ago, a candidate claiming to have keen business insight ran for and managed to win the presidency.
Now, talk is surfacing that a key Wall Street banker is, or should, consider running.
DON'T MISS: JPMorgan CEO Dimon Says Banking Crisis to Be Felt 'for Years to Come'
The speculation is that Jamie Dimon, the influential CEO of JPMorgan Chase (JPM), could run for the highest political office in the U.S.
The investment bank denied rumors of a bid to be a nominee for the next presidential election. “As he has said in the past, Jamie has no plans to run for office," the company said in a statement. "He is very happy in his current role.”
Last week, Dimon gave a more nuanced response to Bloomberg News when he was asked about giving up his CEO role to become a politician instead.
"I love my country, and maybe one day I'll serve my country in one capacity or another," he told Bloomberg without giving additional details.
Ackman Urges Dimon to Run
Bill Ackman, a well-known hedge fund manager, said that Dimon should consider running.
Dimon is "the kind of person our country deserves as our next leader. And clearly he is thinking about running … I can't imagine a better time for him to do so," Ackman wrote in a long tweet.
He also said that Dimon is "one of the world's most respected business leaders. Politically he is a centrist. He is pro-business and pro-free enterprise, but also supportive of well-designed social programs and rational tax policies that can help the less fortunate."
Ackman also said that Dimon is "extremely smart, thoughtful, and pragmatic, and he knows how to bring opposing parties together. He is highly respected by the Right, the Left, and the Center."
Dimon, who is 67, said in May that he plans to continue working at the largest U.S. bank for another "3.5" years.
He told a group of investors in New York that he has not altered his plans of his tenure a JPMorgan Chase.
In the past, Dimon had said his timeline for resigning from serving as CEO would be five years.
He also said he believed in the succession planning conducted by the bank's board.
Wall Street Has Deep Ties to Government
Bank CEOs are often considered for major government or economic policy positions. The former CEO of Goldman Sachs, Henry Paulson, led the Treasury department during the financial crisis in 2008.
Dimon recently met with politicians to discuss the repercussions of the U.S. defaulting on its debt.
He has never publicly discussed his political preferences. In the past he has said he was “barely” a Democrat.
Dimon has also told CNBC “my heart is Democratic but my brain is kind of Republican.”
He previously served on former President Donald Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum until 2017 when it broke up.
