Kirby's wealth tax comment

Business · Heat 2.5 / 10 · 4 shows · 17m airtime

In an October 2026 New York Times interview, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said he would support a national wealth tax and an inheritance tax of close to 100 percent, arguing passive wealth growth escapes tax through stepped-up basis. A Wall Street Journal op-ed criticized the comments, and Kirby, appearing on Squawk Pod, said he is not a policy advocate and would prefer lower income taxes with taxes on wealth gains. He has since said he pays about 53 percent in taxes in California, a figure that now anchors the argument over whether his original remarks were a considered position or an offhand one.

How 4 podcasts covered it

1. Squawk Pod, 2026-10-21 (52:35 to 56:59)
   Defends the wealth tax comment as fairness
   Kirby defends his New York Times comment on a wealth tax and a near-100 percent inheritance tax, framing it as fairness over stepped-up basis, and downplays it as one guy's view after a Wall Street Journal op-ed pushed back.
   New angle: Kirby says he pays about 53 percent in taxes in California.
2. Morning Brew Daily, 2026-10-22 (12:36 to 16:23)
   Recaps the wealth tax firestorm and the backlash
   Recaps the Kirby wealth tax firestorm: the New York Times quote, the Bloomberg follow-up where he defended it, and the conservative backlash. Adds color on his $32.3 million pay and Jensen Huang's contrast, but stays inside the existing record.
3. Marketplace, 2026-10-23 (0:57 to 8:10)
   Recaps Holman's interview on the wealth tax
   Recaps Jordan Holman's New York Times interview with Kirby, with Holman saying he called for a 100 percent wealth tax because inequality has reached a dangerous level. It stays inside the interview already on the record, folded into a Fed-and-consumer panel.
4. Bloomberg Surveillance, 2026-10-24 (8:00 to 9:28)
   Recaps the wealth tax endorsement
   Recaps Kirby's endorsement of a national wealth tax, crediting Lisa Bromwitz's interview and Jordan Holman's earlier sit-down, and frames it as the idea picking up steam. Stays inside the coverage already on the record.