Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), who recently added his name to the large list of Democratic presidential hopefuls, appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

Host Joe Scarborough asked the former businessman if he had concerns about the rise of socialism within the Democrat Party, which Hickenlooper said he is proud of the “big tent” that is the Democrat Party that does not require labels.

“Would you call yourself a proud capitalist?” Scarborough asked.

Hickenlooper laughed and said, “Oh, I don’t know. … The labels, I’m not sure any of them fit.”

The former governor shifted to talking about addressing climate change.

Scarborough followed up, asking, “Do you consider yourself a capitalist?”

“Well, again, the labels — I’m a small businessperson, so that part of the system you would call capitalist, I get it,” Hickenlooper replied before talking about how many hours he worked to build his business and help others business owners.

“Do you consider yourself a capitalist and does capitalism work?” Scarborough then asked.

“I don’t look at myself with a label, and I certainly think that small business is part of the solution. … The way capitalism is working in the United States, it’s not doing what it once did. It’s really not providing security and opportunity for the middle class and for poor people.

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