“The President would rather label Democrats as capitalist or socialist — a false choice — than have a real conversation about how to get America working for all people,” John Hickenlooper wrote. | AP Photo/David Zalubowski 2020 elections Hickenlooper says he’s a capitalist, ‘but I’m sure not a Trump capitalist’

After dodging questions about whether he would call himself a capitalist, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper conceded Tuesday that the characterization fits him even as he condemned pressure on candidates to conform to “empty labels.”

The Colorado Democrat, who announced a presidential bid at the beginning of the month, wrote in a statement Tuesday that he believes in “the market as a driver of growth and innovation,” touting his previous experience as a small businessman who launched and operated a chain of brewpubs in Colorado and the Midwest before entering politics.


In an interview with NBC’s Seth Meyers on Tuesday night, Hickenlooper likened being called a capitalist to someone calling him a “nerd” in high school.

“Like, it’s maybe not the first label I’d choose,” he joked, “but it would be hard to argue with.”

Hickenlooper’s acceptance of the identifier came with a caveat though for the former governor, who distanced himself from President Donald Trump’s definition of capitalism.

“The President would rather label Democrats as capitalist or socialist — a false choice — than have a real conversation about how to get America working for all people,” Hickenlooper wrote. “He knows if he can divide Democrats and distract us from a real conversation, he can win reelection.”

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“I may be a capitalist, but I’m sure not a Trump capitalist,” he added.

The former governor’s statement came after the alt-right media outlet Breitbart News published an interview with Trump on Monday in which the president criticized Hickenlooper for dodging questions from the media about capitalism.

“He was ashamed of the word,” Trump told Breitbart, referencing an MSNBC interview last week when Hickenlooper declined to call himself “a proud capitalist.”

Discussions surrounding capitalism could prove a challenge for the pool of Democrats seeking the nomination of a party increasingly influenced by far-left voices, including self-described democratic socialist and 2020 candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Hickenlooper received flak from former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who is mulling an independent, centrist candidacy, on Twitter after his appearance on MSNBC.

In response to Schultz’s critical tweet — in which the CEO said “it’s clear” the Democratic Party belongs to Sanders if even a former entrepreneur “can’t openly support capitalism” — Hickenlooper issued a warning.

“Howard, comments like this make it easier for Trump to win,” Hickenlooper tweeted. “Rather than this ridiculous, divisive focus on labels, we need to be discussing how to actually make the economy work for everyone.”