How Kamala Harris is playing woman of the people on key issue to win votes… then behaving VERY differently in private
She has launched her presidential campaign on a platform of taking on corporate wrongdoing and clamping down on billionaires.
But in practice, Kamala Harris is seeking advice from the same big business leaders she claims to be raging against.
The vice president has been attempting to woo captains of industry by inviting them to lunches and personally guided White House tours.
Among those who have had Harris’ ear of late is billionaire Mark Cuban, who has been involved in texts, calls and email chains providing his advice on pharmacy issues, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The Shark Tank investor has been vocal in his opposition to ‘pharmacy middlemen’, a line which Harris has subsequently trotted out.
Kamala Harris has been publicly critical of tax breaks for billionaires and pledged to tackle corporate greed but in private she has been wooing business leaders
Cuban was among those present at a roundtable hosted by the vice president about the issue in March.
In contrast to Joe Biden, the vice president has taken pains to cultivate a relationship with corporate America through more than just formal meetings.
Sources told the Wall Street Journal she had lunch with JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.
The two have since kept in contact according to insiders, who reported that Dimon told associates that she was ‘reasonable’ and open to a dialogue.
Dimon’s wife Judy was also in attendance at a dinner with Harris, hosted by Peter Scher, vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase, at his Maryland home, which took place just hours after Biden dropped out.
Harris herself has also hosted executives at the Vice President’s Naval Observatory residence.
Among the attendees were Visa CEO and Democrat, Ryan McInerney, Motorola Solutions’ Greg Brown, who is a Republican, and CVS Health’s Karen Lynch.
The tactic has already paid off in terms of donations, with Harris’ campaign raking in nearly $2 million from 5,000 CEO donors.
Among those who have the Vice President’s ear are Shark Tank investor and billionaire Mark Cuban
This compares to just $91,000 from about 990 CEO’s which Biden received in the final ten days before his withdrawal from the race.
Harris has criticized rival Donald Trump for pledging to give tax breaks to billionaires.
But she has recently supported a less steep increase in the top capital-gains tax rate, in a break with Biden’s plans.
A Harris adviser stated that while she supports a billionaire minimum income tax, she is open to revisiting tax structures in a different to the president.
Her approach has reassured some business leaders, including Roger Hochschild, former CEO of Discover, who was among 100 CEOs who penned a letter endorsing Harris.
However Harris’ charm offensive has not been enough to quell fears among some billionaires.
John Paulson, known for his lucrative bet against subprime mortgages in 2007, said on Tuesday that he would pull all his assets out of the stock market if the Democrat nominee wins.
‘I think if Harris were elected, I would pull my money from the market,’ he said on Fox Business’ The Claman Countdown.
JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has reportedly kept in touch with Harris since the two had lunch earlier this year. His wife Judy (pictured) is a Harris supporter
‘I’d go into cash and I’d go into gold because I think the uncertainty regarding the plans they outlined would create a lot of uncertainty in the markets and likely lower markets.’
The founder of Paulson & Co. whose estimated net worth is $3.8 billion went on to describe how he thinks Harris’ tax policies would scare investors, resulting in a ‘pretty quick recession.’
The vice president also raised eyebrows earlier this year when she claimed to have rejected a life of wealth in favor of public service – despite having a combined net worth of $8 million with her husband Doug Emhoff.
The couple own a home in Los Angeles worth $4.4 million and she not only enjoys an annual salary of $235,100 as vice president but sold her San Francisco apartment for $860,000 and the couple’s Washington, DC apartment for $1.85 million.
They currently live at the vice president’s residence at the Naval Observatory, a campus of 80 acres. The 9,150 square foot home has 33 rooms and a large pool.
