Yes. But even C was considered too slow for something like a Motorola 68000 back in the day. Of course it's possible.
Besides, C++ can be just as performant if you ignore a huge proportion of its language features and abstractions, but what's the point then? Just use C.
And this is precisely why embedded engineers do so.
Go figure.
What has made relevant was the rise of FOSS UNIX clones and the GNU guidelines for using C.
All major desktop OSes were already on the path of adopting C++ frameworks. BeOS, Windows, OS/2, Mac OS.
Thankfully C has been shown the door on Apple, Google, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and ARM platforms.
Others will follow.
FOSS UNIX clones and old time embedded developers are the only ones keeping C relevant.