‘Willing to Give it a Go’: Critics Pounce On Bezos Claim Raising His Taxes Won’t Help Teachers 2026

Balgarianovinite.com

Screenshot via CNBC

Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon, sparked a bevy of anger on Wednesday when he told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin that his paying higher taxes would not increase public school teachers’ pay.

“Elizabeth Warren has made this point repeatedly. I think she’s made it in reference to you and others who are able to pay a lower tax rate, even though you’re paying an enormous sum in taxes—a lower rate than maybe I am, for example,” Ross Sorkin asked Bezos at one point during their lengthy sit-down.

“These people sometimes say that, you know, I don’t pay taxes. It’s not true. I pay billions of dollars in taxes. And it’s perfect—again, if people want me to pay more billions, then let’s have that debate,” answered the Washington Post owner, adding:

But don’t pretend that that’s going to solve the problem. You could double the taxes I pay, and it’s not going to help that teacher in Queens, I promise you. This is—so you can’t connect those two things, not logically. You know, there are more examples. Why is rent expensive? Why is it so expensive? I recently saw somebody blame it on Airbnb. Okay, Airbnb is not the cause of expensive rent. In fact, it’s been almost—let me finish here, one sec—it’s already been outlawed in New York City, and rents are still very high. So we know Airbnb isn’t causing high rents. What’s really causing high rent is government intervention.

Critics, mostly Democrats, were quick to pounce on Bezos’s take. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who represents Silicon Valley, replied, “Maybe next time try a different talking point. @BernieSanders and my billionaire tax would set up a $60,000 minimum starting salary for all public school teachers.”

Maybe next time try a different talking point. @BernieSanders and my billionaire tax would set up a $60,000 minimum starting salary for all public school teachers. https://t.co/msdbEhVgUz

— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) May 20, 2026

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) added, “I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ.”

I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ. https://t.co/JEnRnM2xII

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) May 20, 2026

Bezos also took to social media to offer some additional comments from his interview to the viral remark. “Zero out taxes for the bottom half of earners. A nurse in Queens shouldn’t be sending money to Washington. Washington should be sending her an apology,” he wrote while sharing the clip. Bezos also said during the interview that he was fine with Mamdani’s proposed pied-à-terre tax on properties worth more than $5 million.

Zero out taxes for the bottom half of earners. A nurse in Queens shouldn’t be sending money to Washington. Washington should be sending her an apology. https://t.co/HFk27wpZ6r

— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) May 20, 2026

Below are some more reactions:

Willing to give it a go https://t.co/Eq4FY0Zggj

— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) May 20, 2026

Jeff, how about a two-cent wealth tax? https://t.co/G9hwQiTgS8

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 20, 2026

This is bullshit. I promise you.

Tax billionaires. Invest in schools. https://t.co/o2yBCojdHj

— Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) May 20, 2026

Jeff Bezos paid $500M for his super-yacht and $75M for his super-yacht’s mini-yacht — both of which he’s allowed to write-off on his taxes.

That alone would cover $180 in classroom supplies for every public school teacher in the U.S. https://t.co/rruas0wVF7

— Melanie D'Arrigo (@DarrigoMelanie) May 20, 2026

He’s right bc we tax income, not wealth.

Bezos takes out a tiny salary, pays the income tax, and lives off loans borrowed against his stocks, basically tax free. They all do this and now 935 billionaires hold more wealth than 170 million Americans.

It’s time to tax wealth. https://t.co/vt2HN9iKJk

— Melat Kiros for Congress, CO-1 (@MelatKirosCO) May 20, 2026

Well now we have to try it out just to prove him right don’t we? https://t.co/iO6rTGOH5z

— Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) May 20, 2026

Lying liar https://t.co/zJM6UeZypz

— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) May 20, 2026

I would simply not threaten people with a good time https://t.co/g0ggI5XUTI

— patrick "inverted vibe curve" blanchfield (@PatBlanchfield) May 20, 2026

I’m willing to take that risk and find out https://t.co/SCGrHRJh6p

— Mike Nellis (@MikeNellis) May 20, 2026

“Doubling my taxes won’t help anybody,” says man sitting next to the literal rocket ship he personally owns. https://t.co/lFSD0FrAvY

— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) May 20, 2026

The post ‘Willing to Give it a Go’: Critics Pounce On Bezos Claim Raising His Taxes Won’t Help Teachers first appeared on Mediaite.

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