Anti-Billionaire Mark Ruffalo Endorses Billionaire Tom Steyer
Mark Ruffalo endorsed billionaire Tom Steyer for California governor despite his criticism of extreme wealth, arguing Steyer differs from "oligarchs" who exploit for profit.
The Marvel actor announced his endorsement through an Instagram post this week, arguing that Tom Steyer represents a different kind of wealthy individual compared to what he terms “oligarchs,” according to Breitbart News.
In his endorsement, Ruffalo claimed that Steyer has dedicated the past twenty years to fighting climate change, while attacking his opponent Rob Becerra as being controlled by Big Oil and corporate interests that have allegedly invested nearly fifty million dollars to secure his election.
The actor attempted to navigate the apparent contradiction in his position by drawing a distinction between billionaires and oligarchs. He acknowledged his general opposition to extreme wealth concentration, stating he sees no justification for individuals to possess such vast fortunes. However, he argued that Steyer differs from figures like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Donald Trump, and Jeff Bezos.
According to Ruffalo’s reasoning, an oligarch uses wealth and power solely to accumulate more wealth and power through greed-driven exploitation of land, environment, resources, or people. He positioned Steyer as a progressive who would govern for the people of California rather than for personal enrichment or corporate benefit.
The actor listed several policy positions he believes distinguish Steyer, including calls to abolish ICE and hold the agency accountable for actions in California, opposition to the Paramount and Warner Bros corporate merger, commitments to revitalizing Hollywood as a California-based industry, and support for taxing the wealthy including himself. Ruffalo claimed Becerra has not supported billionaire taxation proposals.
Progressive Base Pushes Back
The endorsement triggered significant backlash from Ruffalo’s own progressive follower base, with many arguing that billionaire status itself should disqualify candidates from public office.
Critics pointed out that Steyer could deploy his vast resources to help millions immediately without seeking political power. One commenter noted that he has spent three hundred million dollars on his presidential and gubernatorial campaigns combined, money that could have been directed to direct assistance.
Others questioned why a billionaire would need the governor’s office to implement policies he claims to support, suggesting that Steyer’s wealth already provides him the means to effect change if he genuinely desired to do so. Additional skeptics expressed doubt about whether billionaire promises translate into actual results when wealthy allies prove unreliable.
With information from Breitbart News
