Former Vice President Biden has drawn criticism for his more moderate stances and record, which stand in sharp contrast to many of his more progressive rivals in the 2020 field. | Alex Wong/Getty Images 2020 Elections Biden promises wealthy donors he would not 'demonize' the rich

Former Vice President Joe Biden told a room of affluent New York donors on Tuesday night that he doesn't think it's appropriate to "demonize" the rich.

“You know, what I’ve found is rich people are just as patriotic as poor people. Not a joke. I mean, we may not want to demonize anybody who has made money,” Biden told about 100 donors at the Carlyle Hotel on the Upper East Side, multiple media outlets reported.


“We can disagree in the margins, but the truth of the matter is it’s all within our wheelhouse and nobody has to be punished. No one’s standard of living will change,” he continued, addressing a well-heeled group, including former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, former Deputy Treasury Secretary Roger Altman, and Goldman Sachs Chief Financial Officer Stephen Scherr, according to reports.

As unrest grows among the Democratic base with the influence of big-money donors in politics, Biden has attempted to make his fundraising events more transparent, opening his events to the media.

While Biden sought to soothe the concerns of the wealthy as the Democratic Party drifts leftward, the former vice president also shared sentiments reminiscent of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ rallying cry to level the playing field. “When we have income inequality as large as we have in the United States today, it brews and ferments political discord and basic revolution," Biden said.

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Biden has drawn criticism for his more moderate stances and record, which stand in sharp contrast to those of his more progressive rivals in the 2020 field. He has tried to prove his dedication to middle- and lower-class voters, recently speaking at the Poor People’s Campaign forum — an event that revolved around topics such as poverty and systemic racism.