2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday took a swipe at the number of extremely wealthy people who have entered—or explored joining—the 2020 presidential race, saying that their money makes them able to run “even if you were the dumbest person on Earth.”
The Vermont senator tweeted his thoughts on Monday morning, adding that “billionaires should not be able to buy our elections.”
“If you had a couple billion dollars, you could announce your candidacy for president and be taken seriously, even if you were the dumbest person on Earth,” Sanders tweeted. “Billionaires should not be able to buy our elections and we’re going to change that.”
If you had a couple billion dollars, you could announce your candidacy for president and be taken seriously, even if you were the dumbest person on Earth.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 2, 2019
Billionaires should not be able to buy our elections and we’re going to change that.
There are a number of extremely wealthy people who have officially entered the presidential fray, or considered doing so earlier in the process.
Last month, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially announced his candidacy with an ad buy in the tens of millions that sparked backlash.
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz drew intense criticism for his idea of potentially running as a centrist independent in the upcoming election.
Schultz said he would not pursue a presidential run in September.
Tom Steyer is still in the race and is spending loads of cash to buy his way onto the debate stages.
Both Sanders and fellow 2020 presidential contender Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have pushed back against Bloomberg in particular in recent weeks, as their campaigns have centered on raising taxes on extremely wealthy Americans to help pay for a number of their policy proposals.
Then again, President Donald Trump himself is also a self-proclaimed billionaire. We all know how Sanders feels about him.
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