Tom Steyer isn't getting a warm welcome into the 2020 race

Andrea Mitchell and Bernie Sanders.
(Image credit: MSNBC/MSNBC.com)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) considers Tom Steyer a "friend." He still doesn't want him in the 2020 race.

Steyer, a billionaire philanthropist, debuted his 2020 presidential campaign on Tuesday with a video that doesn't ignore his massive wealth. But at least two of the current 2020 frontrunners have a big problem with what's sure to be Steyer's well-funded candidacy.

Steyer spends much of his campaign video distinguishing himself from a number of other wealthy people, saying that he's agreed to donate at least half of his wealth in his lifetime while others would "rather make money than save the world" from climate change. Regardless, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wasn't too impressed. While it didn't name names, Warren's Tuesday afternoon tweet declaring "the Democratic primary should not be decided by billionaires," even if they're "funding themselves," was quite obviously directed at Steyer.

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Sanders, meanwhile, wasn't afraid to be explicit. In a Tuesday appearance on MSNBC, Sanders said he "like[s] Tom personally," but he is "a bit tired of seeing billionaires trying to buy political power." And to make sure his message was clear, Sanders tweeted out the appearance himself. Kathryn Krawczyk

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.