NEW YORK — The nation’s most influential banker, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, told investors Monday that he continues to expect the U.S. economy to be resilient and grow this year. But he worries that geopolitical events — including the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war and U.S. political polarization — might be creating an environment that “may very well be creating risks that could eclipse anything since World War II.”

The comments came in an annual shareholder letter from Dimon, who often uses the letter to weigh in on broad topics like politics, regulation and global events and what it might mean to JPMorgan Chase, as well as the broader economy.

Dimon also used his letter to forcefully defend the firm’s diversity and equality efforts, pushing back on the arguments from Republicans who have said such efforts at Fortune 500 companies, colleges and universities are discriminatory and promote left-wing ideology.

“America’s global leadership role is being challenged outside by other nations and inside by our polarized electorate,” he said. “We need to find ways to put aside our differences and work in partnership with other Western nations in the name of democracy. During this time of great crises, uniting to protect our essential freedoms, including free enterprise, is paramount.”

Dimon had particular concerns with continued large amounts of deficit spending by the U.S. government and other countries, as well as the need for the U.S. and other countries to remilitarize and continue to build out green infrastructure, all of which will likely keep inflation higher than investors expect.

Because of these issues, Dimon said he is less optimistic that the U.S. economy will achieve a “soft landing,” which he defined as modest growth along with declining inflation and interest rates, compared to the broader market. While he says the investors are pricing in a “70% to 80%” chance of a soft landing, Dimon thinks the chances of such an ideal outcome are “a lot less” than that.