165 Execs Urge Peaceful Transition For ‘Healing Of Our Nation’

165 business leaders joined together on Monday (Nov. 23) to call for a peaceful presidential transition of powers, labeling it necessary for the “economic recovery and revitalization” of the U.S.

The executives, including Ajay Banga, CEO of Mastercard; Laurence D. Fink, CEO and chairman of BlackRock; and Alfred F. Kelly Jr., CEO and chairman of Visa, voiced their argument in an open letter published on the Partnership for New York City website.

“America is being ravaged by a deadly pandemic with enormous social and economic consequences,” the letter says. “The attention and energy of public and private sector leaders should be entirely focused on uniting our country.”

In the letter, the executives argue that unity is needed to fight the coronavirus, to provide aid and to prevent further job loss and disruption of business activity in the country.

President-elect Joe Biden was presumed the winner of the 2020 U.S. presidential election on Nov. 7.

Last week, PYMNTS reported that several business leaders were calling for a peaceful transition in the name of economic recovery.

Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, expressed the desire for the incoming Biden administration to coordinate more with other countries, saying that we need “to move from debates about why we cannot succeed to conversations about how we can.”

The already reeling economy is struggling to get through a second wave of the pandemic, while leaders are urgently calling for a second round of stimulus funds.

Over 125 economists called on U.S. lawmakers to pass new stimulus funding quickly, in another open letter also published today (Nov. 23). “We urge policymakers to use all the tools at their disposal to revitalize the economy,” the letter reads.

David M. Solomon, CEO and chairman of Goldman Sachs, and Sandeep Mathrani, CEO of WeWork, were also among the executives to sign Thursday’s letter, which also highlighted the importance of preserving the strength of the U.S. democracy.

“As business and civic leaders who reflect the political diversity of the country, we urge respect for the democratic process and unified support for our duly elected leadership,” the letter reads. “There is not a moment to waste in the battle against the pandemic and for the recovery and healing of our nation to begin.”