Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon, sparked a bevy of anger on Wednesday when he told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin that his paying higher taxes would not increase public school teachers’ pay.

“Elizabeth Warren has made this point repeatedly. I think she’s made it in reference to you and others who are able to pay a lower tax rate, even though you’re paying an enormous sum in taxes—a lower rate than maybe I am, for example,” Ross Sorkin asked Bezos at one point during their lengthy sit-down.

“These people sometimes say that, you know, I don’t pay taxes. It’s not true. I pay billions of dollars in taxes. And it’s perfect—again, if people want me to pay more billions, then let’s have that debate,” answered the Washington Post owner, adding:

But don’t pretend that that’s going to solve the problem. You could double the taxes I pay, and it’s not going to help that teacher in Queens, I promise you. This is—so you can’t connect those two things, not logically. You know, there are more examples. Why is rent expensive? Why is it so expensive? I recently saw somebody blame it on Airbnb. Okay, Airbnb is not the cause of expensive rent. In fact, it’s been almost—let me finish here, one sec—it’s already been outlawed in New York City, and rents are still very high. So we know Airbnb isn’t causing high rents. What’s really causing high rent is government intervention.

Critics, mostly Democrats, were quick to pounce on Bezos’s take. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who represents Silicon Valley, replied, “Maybe next time try a different talking point. @BernieSanders and my billionaire tax would set up a $60,000 minimum starting salary for all public school teachers.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) added, “I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ.”

Bezos also took to social media to offer some additional comments from his interview to the viral remark. “Zero out taxes for the bottom half of earners. A nurse in Queens shouldn’t be sending money to Washington. Washington should be sending her an apology,” he wrote while sharing the clip. Bezos also said during the interview that he was fine with Mamdani’s proposed pied-à-terre tax on properties worth more than $5 million.

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