Slick entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary says many Democrat-run blue states are “uninvestable” due to “insane” policies and prohibitively high taxes.
“I don’t put companies here in New York anymore or Massachusetts or in New Jersey or in California,” Leary said on Friday’s broadcast of “CNN This Morning.”
(Video: CNN)
“Those states are uninvestable,” the Canadian investor said. “The policy here is insane. The taxes are too high. We put them in Fargo, North Dakota.”
When asked by co-host Poppy Harlow what it was specifically about New York that turned the businessman off, O’Leary quipped, “Try to do a project in New York.”
“The regulatory environment is punitive,” he explained. “I had a project in upstate New York behind the grid in Niagara Falls for electricity, a global data center we were building. Eventually, it got so bad with the politicians in the local region and the state policy, we moved it to Norway and all the jobs.”
“Norway has it now,” O’Leary said. “Thousands of jobs coming out of that.”
“That’s New York. Uninvestable,” he stated. “Sorry. Don’t shoot the messenger.”
According to co-host Kaitlan Collins, there are some who would disagree, most notably, New York Governor Kathy Hocul.
“I will debate them any time of the day you want,” O’Leary firmly challenged.
“Particularly AOC,” he added, referring to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “She is great at killing jobs. She kills jobs by the thousands.”
O’Leary was referring to Ocasio-Cortez’s infamous war with Amazon, which canceled its plans in 2019 for a New York City headquarters that would have brought at least 25,000 new jobs to the Big Apple.
Ocasio-Cortez railed against the incentives package which effectively gave the company a $3 billion payment in tax breaks and subsidies, BizPac Review reported at the time.
America gets a lesson on how ‘progressives’ kill jobs: Amazon pulls NYC deal with AOC’s stamp of approval https://t.co/7NyYMQIwCl pic.twitter.com/9nSrikdVQO
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) February 14, 2019
“While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City,” Amazon said in a statement following the company’s decision to pull out of the deal.
In a celebratory tweet, the out-of-touch Ocasio-Cortez wrote, “Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world.”
Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world. https://t.co/nyvm5vtH9k
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 14, 2019
“Another problem, where did Amazon take their jobs?” O’Leary noted. “They took them away from her. She threatened to sue them if they created jobs.”
Whether it was in defense of AOC or in fear of Hochul’s wrath, Harlow objected to O’Leary’s characterization of the Amazon saga.
“There’s a little more to it,” she interjected, “but let’s not re-debate that.”
O’Leary blew off her critique.
“Sorry,” he stated. “I’m just telling you the truth.”
Online, O’Leary’s words resonated with Twitter users anxious to see an O’Leary/Ocasio-Cortez showdown.
“Not a fan of O’Leary, but he’s correct,” one user wrote. “I’d love to see him debate AOC…he’d have her crying in 5 minutes.”
“We need a whole lot more Kevin O’Learys and a whole lot less AOCs and CNN ‘journalists,'” tweeted another.
“This had to shock CNN who semi-worships AOC,” noted a third.
Not a fan of O’Leary, but he’s correct. I’d love to see him debate AOC…he’d have her crying in 5 minutes.
— Joe Sullivan (@JoeSullivan75) March 3, 2023
We need a whole lot more Kevin O’Learys and a whole lot less AOCs and CNN “journalists.”
— Nicole Lynn (@bo1drealist) March 3, 2023
This had to shock CNN who semi-worships AOC.
— Robert the Bruce (@rv_bruce) March 3, 2023
The praise for “Mr. Wonderful” continued rolling in.
Haha, I just watched this and was like BRAVO Mr. Wonderful for speaking up on that vile show!
— MagaConservative (@ur_maga) March 3, 2023
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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