CEOs are doing the best they can to to avoid discussing politics this earnings season

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The 2024 election and its stakes are on the tip of everyone's tongue in nearly every area of American life. But not on corporate earnings conference calls.

On call after call throughout October, top executives dodged election-related queries or refused to answer outright — with an intensity that to some observers exceeded past election cycles.

A Yahoo Finance review of major earnings calls from Amazon (AMZN) to Bank of America (BAC) to Microsoft (MSFT) found no mentions the election season. Even companies that have recently found themselves in the political spotlight like McDonald's (MCD) ignored the topic. Some executives simply shut down conversations when it came up.

When he was asked on one such call with reporters about his conversations with the presidential campaigns and why he won't publicly endorse a candidate, JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon responded: "I'm not going to talk about who I'm speaking to," adding that "I'm not going to get into politics on this particular call."

The boss of the biggest US bank has been somewhat more willing to weigh into political topics elsewhere, from slamming regulators in a recent speech to speaking regularly to both campaigns and favoring Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in private conversations, according to a source familiar with his thinking.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 24: JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon speaks at The Institute Of International Finance annual membership meeting at the Ronald Reagan Building on October 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. Dimon spoke on JPMorgan Chase's expansion into Africa, global trade and financial technology. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon speaking on Oct. 24 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) · Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images

The authors at The Transcript newsletter on Substack who track comments like this full-time found only a few errant examples of companies gingerly weighing in during this earnings season.

"There's clearly election anxiety, if you will," Robert Half International (RHI) vice chairman M. Keith Waddell offered on the call for his HR consulting firm.

CEOs cautious about politics are, of course, nothing new. But this year's heated contest between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Harris has perhaps made CEOs more wary than at anytime in recent history.

"I think everybody is kind of in a play not to lose situation here from a political standpoint," noted Scott Krisiloff, The Transcript's founder and editor, in an interview.

"I think people are being a little more quiet about it just because there is so much visceral emotion," he added.

Read more: What the 2024 campaign means for your wallet: The Yahoo Finance guide to the presidential election

A question of whether the election 'really doesn't matter' (at least for markets)

The CEOs appear to be stepping gingerly in part because of Trump's history of aggressive tactics with the business community; he has often threatened companies he views as crossing him.