Private equity firms, including Blackstone Group LP, whose CEO, Stephen Schwarzman, chairs Trump's advisory panel of business leaders, also would not comment on the travel ban.
People familiar with some of the banks' and firms' decisions in making public statements said a fear of riling President Trump was inhibiting most CEOs' responses.
Since the election, he has taken to Twitter to excoriate certain companies, causing stock price swings. And because Wall Street is hoping for an easing of financial reform regulations, most firms want to stay in Trump's good graces, they said.
The tepid responses from Blankfein's peers made his comments all the more potent, especially because Goldman has gotten attention for the number of its alumni who have joined Trump's administration.
The most high-ranking Goldman executive to have joined the Trump administration is former Chief Operating Officer Gary Cohn, who left the bank in December to become head of the White House National Economic Council. Others include Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin and Trump advisers Steve Bannon, Anthony Scaramucci and Dina Powell.
Those recruits have put the Goldman back in the spotlight as a bank that long had influence in government and public policy, from the days of the Great Depression to the 2008 financial crisis.
But after the bank was embroiled in scandals over its mortgage-market bets, it embarked on a campaign to improve its image. Blankfein has promoted its focus on philanthropy and diversity initiatives, as well as Goldman's role in job creation.
This article was provided by Reuters. Additional reporting by Richa Naidu and Lawrence Delevingne.