Former Starbucks Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz says billionaires have been unfairly able to leverage their wealth.

Schultz, a billionaire who is seriously considering running for president as an independent in 2020, made his remarks during an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin, a host of CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

 “The moniker “billionaire” now has become the catchphrase,” he said. “I would rephrase that, and I would say that ‘people of means’ have been able to leverage their wealth and their interest in ways that are unfair, and I think that speaks to the inequality. But it also directly speaks to the special interests that are paid for by people of wealth and corporations who are looking for influence.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. has criticized Schultz about his presidential aspirations.

Referring to Schultz, she asked: “Why don’t people ever tell billionaires who want to run for President that they need to ‘work their way up’ or that ‘maybe they should start with city council first’?”

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