Elizabeth Warren said Wednesday that she is not a socialist and that she instead favors “capitalism with serious rules.”
“I believe in capitalism,” the Massachusetts Democrat said in an interview with Bloomberg. “I see the wealth that can be produced — but let’s be really clear: Capitalism without rules is theft.”
Warren, who is campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president, would join Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. and other liberal members of Congress in identifying as a socialist.
She declined to do so, but criticized the existing economic model in the U.S. She said that a business model built on “cheating” was not capitalism and that capitalism required stronger rules.
Warren has kicked off her pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination with an aggressive populist agenda. Most recently, she called for a new wealth tax on very rich households.
Nevertheless, she’s distinguished herself from Sanders and other populist members of Congress, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., by not saying that she favors Democratic populism.
In Wednesday’s television appearance, she also declined to endorse the idea of eliminating private health insurance in favor of a government plan, as has Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., another presidential candidate.
Warren noted that she’s backed several versions of legislation meant to extend government healthcare to the whole population. “There are different ways we can get there,” she said.
