Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

This billionaire says Elizabeth Warren is a 'superficial, nasty hater'

This billionaire says Elizabeth Warren is a 'superficial, nasty hater'

Hedge fund billionaire Leon Cooperman escalated his fight with Elizabeth Warren on Friday by calling the Democratic presidential candidate a "superficial, nasty hater" who isn't interested in dealing with facts.

"The voting public should not be taken in by this political charlatan," Cooperman told CNN Business.

His comments come after Warren took her clash with billionaires to their home turf by airing ads on CNBC, making the case for a wealth tax aimed at easing America's inequality problem.

Warren's commercial called out Cooperman, who was charged by the SEC with insider trading in 2016. Those charges were settled when Cooperman agreed to pay a fine of nearly $5 million.

Cooperman, the son of a plumber who has pledged to give away his entire fortune to charity, took issue with Warren bringing up the "SEC baloney." He noted that he did not admit nor deny fault and avoided getting barred from the industry.

"Any attorney will tell you I won the case because there was no case," Cooperman said. "But what does this have to do with her qualifications to be president? I'm not running for office - she is."

He added that Warren "impresses me as a superficial, nasty hater that doesn't seem interested in dealing with facts."


Cooperman 'can't escape the tax'

Warren isn't backing down. She signaled on Friday plans to ramp up her ad blitz pushing for a wealth tax.

"Some of the scared billionaires who oppose it are going on TV and tweeting their complaints," Warren tweeted. "It clearly struck a nerve. But we need this tax to help working families-so we're increasing our ad buy."

Warren's campaign responded to Cooperman's latest remarks by pointing out the high stakes for the billionaire.

"We're going to tax Leon Cooperman's fortune of $3.2 billion," Saloni Sharma, Warren's national deputy press secretary, told CNN Business in an email.

Cooperman "can't escape the tax" because it will apply as long as he's an American citizen, Sharma said. If Cooperman renounced his citizenship, he would have to pay a 40% exit tax on every dollar of his fortune above $50 million, she said.

"We're going to be giving the IRS the teeth and the tools to make sure the billionaires pay up," Sharma said.

Warren has called for imposing a wealth tax of 6 cents on every dollar of net worth above $1 billion. Her campaign says the wealth tax could be used to pay for proposed programs such as universal child care, universal pre-school, canceling student loan debt and Medicare-for-All.

Warren's agenda is aimed at tackling America's inequality problem head-on. The top 1% of US households now controls $34.7 trillion of the nation's wealth, according to the Federal Reserve. The bottom 50% of families holds only $2.1 trillion.

"All we're saying is when you make it big, pitch in two cents so everyone else gets a chance," Warren said during her ad that aired on Thursday on CNBC, a network that often hosts the billionaires whose wealth the Democrat wants to tax.

Beyond the wealth tax, Warren has also called for breaking up Facebook (FB) and banning the fracking of oil and gas.


Blankfein warns against vilifying

Warren's aggressive agenda and her tough tone have sparked a backlash from other wealthy individuals.

Lloyd Blankfein, a registered Democrat and the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, has acknowledged the inequality problem and supports taxing the rich more.

However, Blankfein recently told CNN's Poppy Harlow that he fears Warren wants "cataclysmic change" to the US economy. Warren featured those comments in her CNBC ad and then called Blankfein out for getting a $70 million pay package in 2007, the year the Great Recession began.

Blankfein, who backed Hillary Clinton in 2016, responded by hinting at Warren's past disputed claims to Native American heritage.

"Vilification of people as a member of a group may be good for her campaign, not the country," Blankfein tweeted on Thursday. "Maybe tribalism is just in her DNA."


Warren fired another verbal shot at Blankfein on Friday.

"He ran Goldman Sachs while it misled its own clients in order to turn a profit, which helped create the 2008 crash," Warren tweeted. "His bank then took billions in backdoor taxpayer bailouts, and no one was held accountable."

Cooperman said he sent a letter to Warren late last month that, he complains, she never responded to. The letter, which Cooperman provided to CNN Business, suggested alternatives to a wealth tax, such as eliminating loopholes in the tax code and implementing a surtax on millionaires.

"The fact is, Senator Warren, that despite our philosophical differences, we should be working together to find common ground in this vital conversation -- not firing off snarky tweets that stir your base at the expense of accuracy," Cooperman wrote.
Yet the rhetoric has only gotten more heated in the weeks since he sent that letter.

Cooperman, however, said his letter was "respectful and, if I must say, was extremely well done."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Saudi Arabia Faces Uncertainty Over Succession After Mohammed bin Salman
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
×