Biden’s billionaire beef has benefits

Feuding with billionaires like Bezos and Musk is a pretty smart move for the president’s political agenda.

Goodbye sleepy Joe

Biden singles out Amazon and Jeff Bezos on the reg for not paying their “fair share of tax.” And when Elon Musk recently said he had a bad feeling about the direction of the US economy, Biden was quick to respond.

He rattled off a laundry list of companies making investments in the US and added, “So, you know, lots of luck on his trip to the moon. I mean, you know.” Sass level turned up to 100 on that comment, which the White House widely shared.

But why is Biden so down to clown on billionaires? Isn’t it unprofessional? Or damaging to his political plans? Nope. Pretty much the opposite. With the President catching some flak from progressives for his handling of the economy and inflation, standing up to their least favorite people is a calculated play. Did we say sleepy Joe? We meant feisty Joe.

Musk and Bezos, down to debate?

Biden’s 2023 budget proposal suggested a minimum 20% tax rate on American households worth more than $100 million. Polling showed that 63% of US adults supported this suggestion, with only 20% directly opposing the tax.

Basically, taking a shot at someone like Bezos is really effective messaging for Joe right now. And it goes both ways. Musk and Bezos win points with their supporters when they get their shots in too. In a recent podcast interview, Musk even went as far as saying, “This administration doesn’t seem to get a lot done. […] There were a lot of people in the [Trump] administration who were effective at getting things done.”