Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, left, Photo by Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images
- Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted Sunday that extremely wealthy Americans should pay their "fair share."
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to Sanders by offering to sell more of the stock that he owns.
- Over the last week, Musk cashed in nearly $7 billion in Tesla stock.
Elon Musk has a long history of publicizing his opinions on Twitter, On Sunday, he continued this trend by sparring with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., over extreme wealth and stocks.
In response to a tweet from Sanders demanding that extremely wealthy Americans "pay their fair share," Musk replied, "I keep forgetting that you're still alive."
-Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 14, 2021
Musk responded to a joke about Sanders from another user with a laughing emoji, and offered to sell more of his Tesla stock.
-Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 14, 2021
Over the last week, Musk has cashed in nearly $7 billion in Tesla stock, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. He even ran a poll on his Twitter asking his followers to vote on whether he should sell the stock, despite the fact that he'd already put a sales plan in motion nearly two months prior, according to regulatory filings.
Musk hinted at a billionaire tax proposed by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., in the Twitter poll, which would tax unrealized capital gains on assets, including stocks. While the value of Tesla's stock soared during the pandemic and made Musk the world's richest man, the business magnate has repeatedly slammed the Democratic tax proposal, which would leave him with a $10 billion annual bill based on projections.
Insider has reached out to Sanders and Musk for comment.