Biden to Mega-Wealthy Donors: ‘I Need You Very Badly’

Morgan PhillipsJun 19th, 2019, 2:12 pm
 

Having two days ago said the first thing he would do as president is raise taxes, Joe Biden told a room full of affluent New York donors Tuesday that he didn’t think it was appropriate to “demonize” the rich.

“Remember, I got in trouble with some of the people on my team, on the Democratic side, because I said, you know, what I’ve found is rich people are just as patriotic as poor people. Not a joke. I mean, we may not want to demonize anybody who’s made money,” Biden told approximately 100 wealthy donors, according to Bloomberg. “Nobody has to be punished. No one’s standard of living will change.”

“When you have income inequality as large as we have in the United States today, it brews and ferments political discord and basic revolution,” he said. “It allows demagogues to step in” and blame “the other,” he said.

“You’re not the other,” Biden told the group. “I need you very badly.”

Speaking to a crowd Tuesday at a Poor People’s Campaign event, Biden said: “We have the greatest income inequity in the history of America since 1902. And the fact of the matter is there is plenty, plenty of money to go around. The first thing I would do as president is eliminate the president’s tax cut. ”

Attendees of the event included Goldman Sachs Chief Financial Officer Stephen Scherr, and former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, former Deputy Treasury Secretary Roger Altman.

Biden at another fundraising event Monday had also courted the support of Trump-supporting New York  billionaire and super-market magnate John Catsimidis. Catsimidis declined support, but said Biden is the most “common-sense” nominee of the 23 candidates.

The Monday fundraising event had brought in 180 guests paying $2800 each.

[Photo via Scott Olson/Getty Images]

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