Disney’s (DIS) Scrooge McDuck has stood tall since 1947 – usually on a mountain of gold coins – as a playful symbol against greed, avarice, and unchecked wealth.
Decades later, Elon Musk is using Scrooge McDuck to mock Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) over his latest book -- and ensuing profits -- that criticizes unbridled capitalism.
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On May 20 Tweet from Unusual Whales, an online financial news account, which called out Sanders for “doubling his income last year by writing a best-selling book that condemns capitalism.”
Musk responded to the tweet with an image of Scrooge McDuck skiing down a mountain of gold coins with the caption, "Bernie Sanders leaving his third lakefront property to go speak about the evils of wealth and capitalism."
“According to the latest annual financial disclosures of Senator Bernie Sanders earned $170,000 in book royalties in 2022 from his best-selling book, titled 'It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism,' equaling his senate salary," Unusual Whales noted in a separate tweet.
“This amount is nearly equivalent to the annual salary of $174,000 received by senators and House members,” Unusual Whales noted.
2022 disclosures reveal that Sanders received $170,000 in book royalties last year.
Sanders, meanwhile, has been tweeting about disproportionate compensation to some entertainment CEOs during the Writer's Strike.
There’s some bad blood history of malice between Musk and Sanders, but the duo has aligned on criticisms of Moderna’s decision to boost COVID-19 vaccine prices last January.
So maybe the Twitterverse can chalk this up to a playful taunt from one high-profile cultural icon to another – at least for now.