Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has been a thorn in the side of billionaires and corporations since even before she took office. That's only gone further since she launched her campaign for president, and the banks are beginning to notice.
In an interview with CNBC, billionaire JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon lamented that Warren "uses some pretty harsh words" which he said tend to "vilify successful people." He continued:
“I don't like vilifying anybody. We should applaud successful people."
It wasn't long before Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called Dimon out.
Y’all, the billionaires are asking for a safe space - you know, in addition to the entire US economy and political… https://t.co/xl4PtaIFX0— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1573060832.0
Warren promises to impose a two percent marginal wealth tax for those with over 50 million dollars and three percent for those with over a billion.
She soon addressed Dimon's critiques on Twitter as well.
It's really simple: Jamie Dimon and his buddies are successful in part because of the opportunities, workforce, and… https://t.co/GIcHDbXrga— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1572993907.0
And their critiques don't scare her. In fact, she's buoyed by them.
The fact that they've reacted so strongly—so angrily!—to being asked to chip in more tells you all you need to know… https://t.co/7CTGnr119h— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1572993907.0
While successful people are often deserving of praise, billionaires routinely use loopholes and access to escape substantial taxation, or any taxation at all, even though they pay five percent less on average in taxes than the average American.
Some even say that there's no ethical way to earn a billion dollars.
I don't think people realize how unethical and stupid it is to be a billionaire. Imagine you make $100,000 a year… https://t.co/ZpBz8Vn958— Future VP (@Future VP) 1573091928.0
Billionaires didn't get that rich by working hard. They got rich by exploiting people. If you work for 80 hours a w… https://t.co/aFCJpmUQco— Seth Blodgett (@Seth Blodgett) 1572787191.0
People tended to side with Ocasio-Cortez and Warren.
@AOC Billionaires pretending to be the victims in class warfare is really something else. https://t.co/HFPLFMgnhs— Tuxedo Mask (@Tuxedo Mask) 1573061347.0
@AOC I almost spit my drink out laughing at this. I just listened to a story of the @McDonalds CEO that got fired… https://t.co/TyaXr0O2jA— Katharine Bono (@Katharine Bono) 1573086700.0
@AOC They were bailed out during the Greatest Recession in History, received an Enormous Tax Break & Jaime is cryin… https://t.co/g9Piw287g7— Ana (@Ana) 1573073467.0
Warren has routinely put big bank CEOs, many of them billionaires, through the wringer during Senate hearings and vows to hold them accountable if elected.