J.P. Morgan Chase Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon took a swipe at President Donald Trump, claiming that he could defeat the president in a head-to-head election.



"I think I could beat Trump," Dimon said Wednesday during an event held at his bank's Park Avenue headquarters in New York. "Because I'm as tough as he is, I'm smarter than he is. I would be fine. He could punch me all he wants, it wouldn't work with me. I'd fight right back."

Shortly after, Dimon addressed the uproar caused by his comments: "I should not have said it. I'm not running for president," the CEO said about an hour after the original exchange. The off-the-cuff outburst "proves I wouldn't make a good politician," Dimon said. "I get frustrated because I want all sides to come together to help solve big problems."

Dimon, 62, has been outspoken about what the U.S. needs to do to improve economic growth for a broader set of participants. He's also pushed for common-sense reform on topics ranging from immigration policy to infrastructure spending. So he's often asked whether he would run for president. In the past, he has said that while he would like running the country, he could never win an election.

But the victory of Donald Trump in 2016 -- another billionaire New York businessman -- raised the possibility that Dimon might change his mind.

Still, while the question is likely to remain, Dimon maintained that he probably couldn't win. In Wednesday's original comments, he indicated that its unlikely a rich banker could defeat a liberal candidate.

"I can't beat the liberal side of the Democratic Party," Dimon said, adding that the Democrats needed to "get their act together" by not attacking businesses.