"Panic isn't necessarily a rational thing," the website quoted Dimon as saying. "People panic. And (when) you see people panic -- that's '08, '09 again, and that's really what you want to avoid."
JPMorgan declined to comment beyond the interview.
"There's a higher chance of a mistake here because of the politics of the situation" with damaging economic consequences, Dimon said. "I hope, one day, we get rid of it," he said, restating a call to scrap the debt limit permanently.
The so-called "X-date" - when the government runs short of cash to pay its obligations - could come as early as June 1.
(Reporting by Tatiana Bautzer; Editing by Lananh Nguyen; Editing by Sandra Maler)
