Multi-billionaire Warren Buffett and his company issued a rare public statement on Wednesday in declaring that he does not endorse political candidates, responding to “fraudulent claims” about who he is endorsing in the 2024 presidential race.
“Mr. Buffett does not currently and will not prospectively endorse investment products or endorse and support political candidates.”
The brief statement did not provide any specific details about the fraudulent claims that have been circulating on social media.
In an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Buffett said that he is “worried about people impersonating me and that’s why we put that on the Berkshire website” and that no one “should believe anybody saying I’m telling them how to invest or how to vote.”
Buffett told the outlet that a fake political endorsement posted on Meta Platforms’ Instagram prompted the statement on Wednesday. The 94-year-old investor said he doesn’t have an Instagram account.
“I don’t even know how to get on Instagram,” Buffett told the channel, adding that anything people “see with my image or my voice, it just ain’t me.”
The billionaire investor has previously supported Democratic candidates, including former President Barack Obama in 2008 and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in her 2016 campaign.
Multiple billionaires and business leaders released an open letter last month declaring their support for Harris, which was obtained by The Epoch Times. They include Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, former media executive Barry Biller, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, among others.
During the 2024 election cycle, billionaires Elon Musk, who owns Tesla and X, and Bill Ackman, another longtime investor, have declared their support for former President Donald Trump, while fellow billionaire Mark Cuban has shown support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Earlier this year, Buffett told the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting that artificial intelligence (AI) “is somewhat similar” to nuclear weapons as it is “part way out of the bottle, and it’s enormously important and it’s gonna be done by somebody.”
“We may wish we’d never seen that genie, or it may do wonderful things,” he said.
His comments came after a video of a broadcast showing Buffett promoting a bitcoin giveaway, which Fox News and Buffett later said was faked.
In the fake clip, a voiceover on a clip of Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum says, “Warren Buffett, can you tell us about your spontaneous decisions lately?”
A voiceover on a clip of Buffett says: “Yes, of course. I am watching a bitcoin giveaway take part. If you want to change your future ... enter promo code ‘gift’ and enjoy your prizes. Do not miss the opportunity that will change your life.”
“Scammers use AI tools to manipulate existing videos to change the voice and mouth movements of the individuals to create seemingly genuine endorsements for their frauds. These videos are then served to social media users as advertisements or broadcast as fake livestreams on platforms like YouTube,” she warned in August.
Buffett was estimated to be worth about $145 billion as of Wednesday, according to Forbes magazine. He’s currently the fifth richest person in the world.
