Ex-Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein slams Warren: 'Maybe tribalism is just in her DNA'
'Not my candidate, but we align on many issues,' Blankfein wrote on Twitter.
Former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein ripped into Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren on Thursday after her campaign ran a fiery advertisement attacking billionaires.
In the ad, which aired on Thursday, Warren directly targeted four billionaires — Blankfein, money manager Leon Cooperman, TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts, venture capitalist Peter Thiel — who have denounced her wealth tax proposal.
She included a clip of Blankfein saying she probably "thinks of more cataclysmic change to the economic system, rather than tinkering," before taking a swipe at him for earning $70 million in 2007, despite Goldman's role in the financial crisis.
(Photos: Reuters, AP)
But Blankfein responded Thursday afternoon, saying he was "surprised" to be featured in the campaign, given the number of critics she has. In recent weeks, Warren has weathered attacks from JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Cooperman.
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"Not my candidate, but we align on many issues," Blankfein wrote on Twitter. "Vilification of people as a member of a group may be good for her campaign, not the country. Maybe tribalism is just in her DNA."
"Tribalism" is likely a reference to Warren claiming Native American heritage in the past, something for which she has since apologized. President Trump frequently mocks over her past claims, often dubbing her "Pocahantas."
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Blankfein served as CEO of Goldman from 2006 until the end of 2018.
Under Warren’s proposal to tax the ultra-wealthy, individuals worth more than $50 million would pay a 2 percent tax; that would climb to 6 percent for those worth more than $1 billion.
The former Wall Street executive — a registered Democrat, but a self-described "Rockefeller Republican" — has previously traded barbs with Bernie Sanders, who's also running for president on a progressive platform.