Bernie Sanders likes Tom Steyer, but doesn’t want more billionaires in politics
Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to make it clear that he is no fan of rich people running for office.
Left-leaning billionaire Tom Steyer officially entered the race for president in 2020 on Tuesday. He has been an advocate for President Trump’s impeachment.
When asked during an interview on MSNBC about Steyer’s entrance into the race, Sanders said he was tired of seeing billionaires try to buy political power.
“I like Tom – he is a good guy, he’s a friend of mine – but I’m not a great fan of billionaires getting involved in the political process,” Sanders said. “Billionaires, and this is not just Tom Steyer, billionaires should not be able to spend unlimited sums of money trying to buy elections.”
Sanders touted the fact that he has received individual donations from nearly 1 million people. His campaign said last week that he raised $18 million over the past three months, and the average donation was less than $20.
As previously reported by FOX Business, Steyer’s net worth is estimated by Forbes to be around $1.6 billion – which is much more than other frontrunners, including Sanders.
Steyer has said his campaign will focus on reducing corporate America’s influence on politics – an issue key to Sanders’ campaign, as well.
For his part, Sanders drew criticism after releasing his tax returns earlier this year – which showed that he earned more than a million dollars in 2016 and 2017. He had previously called millionaire senators “immoral” during his first run for Senate.
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Sanders’ campaign hinges on the idea of returning power to the middle-class and American workers, from the top 1 percent. He repeatedly notes that wealth is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few rich individuals.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has sought to distance himself from Sanders’ critical take on billionaires, saying that being wealthy doesn’t make an individual any less patriotic.