Buffett jabs Christie for telling him to "shut up"
Warren Buffett on Monday hit back at New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for saying last week the billionaire should "write a check and shut up" if he's so intent on raising taxes on wealthy Americans in order to reduce the deficit.
In an interview with CNBC, the renowned investor sarcastically called Christie's remarks a "touching response to a $1.2 trillion deficit" -- and argued that asking for individual contributions as a means to fix the economy was an "astounding" concept in general.
"You know, it's sort of a touching response to a $1.2 trillion deficit, isn't it, that somehow the American people will just all send in checks and take care of it," Buffett said.
He referenced a similar comment made last month by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell who said Buffett should "send in a check" if he was feeling "guilty" about his tax rate.
"It's sort of astounding to me that somebody that has the responsibility for being the minority leader in the Senate would think that you attack a $1.2 trillion or so deficit by asking for voluntary contributions," Buffett said.
Buffett added that he had offered to "triple" any such contribution McConnell made, as well as match any Republican Congress member's voluntary contribution, but dismissed the whole incident as a "side show." (The Kentucky Republican did not take him up on the challenge.)
"That's a side show," Buffett said. "The real problem we have is we're taking in too little money and we're spending too much and that's not going to be solved by voluntary contributions. What we need is a policy, a tax policy."
Buffett has become a champion of the middle class as he has pressed for higher tax rates for the wealthiest Americans, including people like himself.
In the interview, Buffett also took a swipe at Christie for the tone of his remarks.
When the reporter suggested to Buffett that CNBC viewers had sided with Christie in the spat, Buffett said he hoped the responses were "a little more eloquent than that."