JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on Wednesday taunted President Trump, saying he could beat the president in an election because he’s “smarter.”
“I think I could beat Trump … because I’m as tough as he is, I’m smarter than he is,” Dimon said, according to CNBC.
“I can’t beat the liberal side of the Democratic Party,” he added.
Dimon, speaking at an event where JPMorgan was detailing a $500 million investment to boost economic growth around the world, also told the crowd that he “actually earned [my] money.”
{mosads}”It wasn’t a gift from daddy,” Dimon said, according to CNBC, in another jab at the president.
Within an hour of blasting Trump, Dimon walked back his comments.
“I should not have said it,” Dimon said in a statement. “I’m not running for president. Proves I wouldn’t make a good politician. I get frustrated because I want all sides to come together to help solve big problems.”
Dimon, 62, has a history of wading into politics, particularly since Trump took office, prompting speculation he may run for office. In the past year, he has predicted Trump would be a one-term president, warned that Democrats lack a quality candidate to win in 2020 and credited the GOP tax cuts with accelerating economic growth.
However, Dimon said earlier this year that he’s committed to remaining at JPMorgan Chase for another five years, which would rule out a presidential campaign in 2020.
A flurry of high-profile Democrats, including Sens. Kamala Harris (Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and former Vice President Joe Biden, as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), are considered potential presidential candidates for 2020.
Trump has remained confident about his reelection chances despite sagging approval ratings, boasting last week that “nobody is going to come close” to defeating him in 2020.
— This report was updated at 12:04 p.m.