Wynn Said “Nobody Likes Being Around Poor People,” And Payne Called Him One Of His “Heroes”

CNBC: Wynn Claimed “Nobody Likes Being Around Poor People” During Presentation To Investors. On April 7, CNBC.com reported that Steve Wynn, casino mogul and founder of Wynn Resorts, disparaged low-income Americans in front of an audience of investors, claiming no one wants to be around the poor, “especially poor people”:

In a presentation to investors Wednesday night, Wynn -- founder of Wynn Resorts -- said his company is like a luxury brand that focuses on people with money. He explained that an environment that attracts and caters to the wealthy will attract everyone else.

[...]

“Or to put it in a more colloquial way, rich people only like being around rich people. Nobody likes being around poor people, especially poor people. So we try and make the place feel upscale for everyone. That is to say we cater to people who have discretion and judgment and we give them a choice and we are consistent in that.” [CNBC.com, 4/7/16]

Payne: Wynn Is “One Of My Heroes.” On the April 11 edition of Fox Business’ Varney & Co., guest host Charles Payne referred to Steve Wynn as one of his “heroes” while discussing Wynn’s remark that “nobody likes to be around poor people.” Fox Business’ Ashley Webster explained that Wynn made the comments to a group of investors, saying Wynn also claimed that “rich people only like to be around rich people.” Payne said, “Wynn inherited a small bingo parlor and built an empire. So he has been on both sides of the ledger. He is one of my heroes, unfortunate comment, perhaps”:

[Fox Business, Varney & Co. 4/11/16]

Payne Has A History Of Attacking The Poor, Working-Class, And Disadvantaged

Payne Claimed Assisting The Poor Rewards Mediocrity. On the May 1 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Payne claimed programs that assist low-income Americans “reward mediocrity” and encourage low-income Americans to stay in poverty. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/1/15]

Payne: Americans Should Not Have Unemployment Insurance Because “People Are Lazy.” On the September 10, 2014, edition of Fox News’ Happening Now, Payne claimed that a faulty report saying unemployed Americans spend more time shopping than job hunting stands as proof that unemployment insurance makes Americans “lazy.” [Media Matters, 9/11/14]

Payne Defends Billionaire's Paranoid Nazi Analogy. On the January 28, 2014, edition of Varney & Co., Payne defended billionaire Tom Perkins' decision to compare the alleged “demonization of the rich” in the United States today to the Antisemitism that led to the Holocaust. Payne argued that wealthy Americans have “justified rage” and that Perkins “may be a couple of years ahead of the curve” in predicting widespread persecution of the wealthy. [Fox Business, Varney & Co., 1/28/14]

Payne: Men Receiving Social Security Disability Insurance Are “Modern-Day Eunuchs.” Speaking at the Freedom Center's 2013 Restoration Weekend on November 21, 2013, Payne claimed that men who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), which he referred to as their “crazy check,” are the equivalent of “modern-day eunuchs." [Media Matters, 11/21/13]

Payne’s Explanation Of Poverty: After Thanksgiving, People “Take Their Welfare Checks And Bum-Rush” Walmart. During the October 3, 2011, edition of Fox News’ Hannity, Payne claimed that successful people are vilified by our society and that the real reason some Americans are poor is because they are irresponsible with their money. As evidence of this, Payne claimed that low-income Americans “take their welfare checks and bum-rush” Wal-Mart every year after Thanksgiving dinner instead of saving wisely. [Fox News, Hannity, 10/3/11]

Payne Claims The Poor Are “Indebted Servants” Who Believe Society “Owes” Them. On the April 15, 2011, edition of Fox Business’ Freedom Watch, Payne said the United States “can’t be a great country” so long as people think “the less I work, the more society owes me.” He added that government assistance for low-income Americans is holding the poor “hostage” by making poverty “just comfortable enough” that they don't strive “to escape it.” [Fox Business, Freedom Watch, 4/15/11]