Warren uses battle with billionaires as fundraising ploy
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has found herself at the receiving end of criticism from a number of the nation’s wealthy and powerful individuals – ranging from Bill Gates to Mark Cuban – and now she is hoping to turn the publicity into a fundraising effort.
In a note sent to supporters on Tuesday, Warren’s team said billionaires have been receiving “a whole lot of press coverage lately – and it’s because they’re scared.”
“If they're scared because they're going to actually pay their fair share under a Warren presidency, that's fine with us,” the email read. “Elizabeth isn't running for them — she's running for you.”
Warren asked supporters to donate to help grow her “grassroots movement and fight for working people.”
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The 2020 contender also touted her wealth tax, saying it could fund free public college, universal child care and universal school meals. She has received flak after increasing the top rate on the proposal to 6 percent, from 3 percent, as a means to pay for her Medicare for All plan.
A frontrunner in the 2020 Democratic Party, Warren’s policies have generated their fair share of criticism. Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Gates recently questioned how open-minded the senator was to speaking with someone like him – who has a lot of money. He also suggested he did not support her wealth tax plan.
Over the weekend, entrepreneur Cuban laid into Warren’s Medicare for All plan, accusing her of misleading the public about a timeline for implementation. He also alleged that a wealth tax would not be enough to cover the costs.
Hedge fund manager, self-made billionaire and philanthropist Leon Cooperman recently wrote a letter to Warren, accusing her of vilifying the rich.
During an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired last weekend, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said he does not like when people who worked hard to accomplish things are vilified. He also disputed the notion that just because he’s wealthy he can’t be a patriot.
Warren has appeared to embrace her battle with billionaires in recent days, after initially fending off criticism that her policies were punitive.
During the most recent Democratic debate in Ohio, she said she did not “have a beef with billionaires.”