Chris Cuomo criticizes Democratic party's corporate ties as luxury suites at DNC are sold for $5M
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has aimed at the Democratic Party for what he perceives as hypocrisy in its stance on corporate price gouging.
Cuomo's comments came during a broadcast from the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago where he highlighted the party's rhetoric against corporations while simultaneously charging exorbitant fees for luxury suites at the event, reported The Hill.
Chris Cuomo calls out DNC's corporate rhetoric
During a nearly three-minute monologue on NewsNation, Chris Cuomo criticized the Democratic Party for pledging to crack down on corporate price gouging, taxes, and loopholes while, at the same time, offering high-priced luxury suites to big donors.
Standing on the convention floor at the United Center, Cuomo said, “A big theme here at the DNC is that they are going to go after corporate gouging and they’re going to go after corporations, whether it’s in taxes, largess, loopholes."
He then highlighted the irony of the situation by directing viewers’ attention to the luxury suites at the arena which are sold for between $500,000 and $5 million.
Chris Cuomo says 'we are strangled by the money reality in our politics'
Chris Cuomo did not hold back his criticism as he emphasized that the presence of these high-priced suites reflects the overwhelming influence of money in politics.
As the camera panned over the arena, Cuomo said, “Look at the ring of suites, OK? This is not unique to Democrats. There is a game of money.”
The NewsNation host, who was dismissed from CNN in 2021, highlighted the stark reality of political fundraising and noted that these suites are occupied by wealthy donors and corporate interests and not ordinary citizens.
“Those suites start at $500 grand. You think there’s like a teacher group up in there? You think it’s like the Cub Scouts of Columbia County, SC, that’s up in those boxes?” he argued.
Chris Cuomo notes the media’s role in the 'pay to play' system
Chris Cuomo revealed that NewsNation did not reserve a space in one of the suites unlike many other media outlets covering the convention.
The television anchor suggested that this decision was due to the high costs associated with securing such spaces.
“Why do you think I’m on the floor? NewsNation is not a broke company. [Parent company] Nexstar is a massive organization," he noted.
“We are corporate media [but] we don’t have one of those boxes because that’s the game. You pay to play," Cuomo added.
Drawing attention to the contradiction in the Democratic Party's message, Cuomo said the suites are “filled with the same people that they say they’re going to regulate."
“They are literally looking down on the faithful… and being told, ‘We’re going to make them pay their fair share’,” he further noted.
