2020年，民主党总统候选人伯尼·桑德斯回应了犹他州共和党参议员米特·罗姆尼的批评，痛斥这位立法者，指责他和其他“百万富翁”以牺牲中产阶级为代价操纵经济。
桑德斯是佛蒙特州的参议员，他自己也是一个百万富翁，大声喊道罗姆尼在犹他州立法者在推特上争辩说总统候选人在国会任期内没有取得太多成就。“当被问及为什么@BernieSanders如此愤怒时，答案很简单:在国会呆了28年，甚至连他的社会主义议程都没能通过。罗姆尼周三在推特上写道。
几个小时后，桑德斯回复了这篇文章，并转发了自己的批评。“我很生气，因为像你和特朗普这样的百万富翁以中产阶级为代价操纵了我们的经济，”这位自称民主社会主义者的参议员写道我很生气，因为数百万人过着一份又一份的生活。我很生气，因为3400万美国人没有保险。为什么你不生气？”他问道。
我很生气，因为像你和特朗普这样的百万富翁以中产阶级为代价操纵了我们的经济。
我很生气，因为数百万人过着一份又一份的生活。
我很生气，因为3400万美国人没有保险。
为什么你不生气？https://t.co/bhpn8Kgb9T
—伯尼·桑德斯(@伯尔尼人)2019年7月31日
罗姆尼和他的妻子的净资产此前估计在1.9亿到2.5亿美元之间。桑德斯将唐纳德·特朗普总统归类为亿万富翁，而总司令的净资产估计约为31亿美元，这意味着他是亿万富翁。
尽管桑德斯在布鲁克林的租金控制的房子里长大，早期作为一名积极分子和有抱负的政治家在经济上苦苦挣扎，但随着畅销书的出版，他的命运发生了戏剧性的转变我们的革命2016年11月出版。根据参议员的纳税申报单，2015年他和妻子的总收入为240，622美元。一年后，在他的书出版和2016年总统竞选后，这个数字飙升至107.3万美元。
桑德斯长期以来一直批评美国的财富不平等，主张对富人和企业征收更高的税，以支付全民医疗、免费高等教育和学生贷款豁免等社会项目。桑德斯和他妻子的净资产现在估计约为250万美元，一些评论家抨击这位参议员自己很富有。
“你提出了我是百万富翁的问题。实际上今年我们有560，000美元的收入，那是一大笔钱，在我的情况下，我妻子的情况下，那笔钱来自我写的一本书。不错的书。你可能想读一下，”桑德斯说福克斯新闻4月份的市政厅。
“这是一本畅销书，销往世界各地，我们赚了钱。所以如果有人认为我应该为写畅销书道歉，对不起，我不会这么做，”桑德斯补充道。
7月30日，美国有线电视新闻网在密歇根州底特律福克斯剧院主办的2020年总统竞选季第二轮民主党初选辩论中，民主党总统候选人伯尼·桑德斯发表了闭幕词BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/法新社
尽管桑德斯现在是美国最富有的百分之一人口的一部分，但他继续支持对富人增税。他的提议，以及他经常与之合作的其他左翼政治家的提议，将使他的个人税收法案大幅增加。
“我们有一个荒谬的税收制度，”桑德斯在四月福克斯新闻市政厅说。“虽然今天数百万人缴纳的税款比他们预期的要多，但亚马逊、网飞和数十家大公司因特朗普的税收法案而没有缴纳联邦税。我认为这是一种耻辱。”
BERNIE SANDERS BLASTS MITT ROMNEY CRITICISM: 'MULTI-MILLIONAIRES LIKE YOU AND TRUMP HAVE RIGGED OUR ECONOMY'
2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders responded to criticism from GOP Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, blasing the lawmaker and accusing him and other "multi-millionaires" of rigging the economy at the expense of the middle class.
Sanders, a senator from Vermont who is himself a multi-millionaire, Romney after the Utah lawmaker argued in a tweet that the presidential candidate hasn't accomplished much during his tenure in Congress. "Asked why @BernieSanders is so angry, the answer is simple: 28 years in Congress and never able to pass even a scintilla of his socialist agenda. All hat, no cattle," Romney tweeted on Wednesday.
Responding a couple of hours later, Sanders retweeted the post with his own criticism. "I'm angry because multi-millionaires like you and Trump have rigged our economy at the middle class' expense," the senator, who identifies as a democratic socialist, wrote. "I'm angry because millions are living paycheck to paycheck. I'm angry because 34 million Americans are uninsured. Why doesn't that anger you?" he asked.
I'm angry because multi-millionaires like you and Trump have rigged our economy at the middle class' expense.
I'm angry because millions are living paycheck to paycheck.
I'm angry because 34 million Americans are uninsured.
Why doesn't that anger you? https://t.co/bhpn8Kgb9T
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 31, 2019
Romney and his wife have a net worth that has previously been estimated as being between $190 and $250 million. While Sanders classified President Donald Trump as a multi-millionaire, the commander-in-chief's net worth is estimated to be about $3.1 billion, meaning he is a multi-billionaire.
Although Sanders grew up in rent-controlled housing in Brooklyn and spent his early career as an activist and aspiring politician struggling financially, his fortunes turned somewhat dramatically with the publication of his best seller Our Revolution published in November 2016. According to the senator's tax returns, he and his wife had a combined income of $240,622 in 2015. A year later, that amount shot up to $1,073,000 following the publication of his book and his 2016 presidential bid.
Sanders has long been a critic of wealth inequality in America, advocating for higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations to pay for social programs such as universal healthcare, free higher education and student loan forgiveness. With the net worth of Sanders and his wife now estimated to be about $2.5 million, some critics have pounced on the senator for being wealthy himself.
"You raised the issue I am a millionaire. Well actually this year we had $560,000 in income, and that's a lot of money, and that money in my case, my wife's case, it came from a book that I wrote. Pretty good book. You might want to read it," Sanders said during an April town hall with Fox News.
"It's a best-seller, sold all over the world, we made money. So if anyone thinks that I should apologize for writing a best-selling book, I'm sorry, I'm not going to do it," Sanders added.
Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders delivers his closing statement during the first round of the second Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season hosted by CNN at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan on July 30BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP
Despite now being part of the wealthiest one percent of Americans, Sanders has continued to support increasing taxes on the wealthy. His proposals, and those of other left-wing politicians which he routinely collaborates with, would see his personal tax bill increase substantially.
"We have an absurd tax system," Sanders said during the April Fox News town hall. "While millions of people today are paying more in taxes than they anticipated, Amazon, Netflix and dozens of major corporations as a result of Trump's tax bill paid nothing in federal taxes. I think that's a disgrace."
