Buffett on politics: ‘It’s man’s nature to be dissatisfied’

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A, BRK-B) Chairman and legendary investor Warren Buffett is still as bullish as ever on America.

The 92-year-old billionaire, who is known for his blunt advice on investing and life, expressed Wednesday that he still has a lot of confidence, even as the country navigates a banking crisis, a potential looming recession, and growing political division.

“We love to complain about wherever we are,” Buffett said on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “But the world has changed so much for the better in terms of how well off people are compared to any other time in history. … There’s just all kinds of improvements, but it’s man’s nature to be dissatisfied, and politics does stir that up.”

© Provided by Yahoo Finance Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett speaks during an interview in Omaha, Neb., Monday, May 7, 2018, with Liz Claman on Fox Business Network’s “Countdown to the Closing Bell”. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Buffett still has much to be concerned about, of course. He reportedly consulted with the Biden administration during the early acute phase of the banking crisis that saw lenders Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank fall. 

But “the Oracle of Omaha” doesn’t seem to let financial turmoil — or other hot-button topics — keep him up at night. 

“There’s things I worry about, sure,” Buffett said. “I worry about the nuclear threat. I worry about a pandemic in the future. But I don’t worry about them because I can’t do anything about them. … I never go to bed worried about Berkshire.”

Buffett did offer some reassurance to investors about the banking crisis, but in recent years he has steered clear of polarizing topics. That’s not an easy task at a time when CEOs are increasingly expected to speak out on social and political issues. 

Still, Buffett is expected to field a number of questions on everything from bitcoin to health care at Berkshire’s annual shareholder meeting on May 6. One theme to expect from Berkshire’s CEO is staunch optimism around American capitalism.

“I was born in 1930, and I’ve been in a golden age ever since I was born,” Buffett said Wednesday. “The GDP per capita is up like sixfold or sevenfold in one person’s lifetime. There’s never been anything like that in the history of mankind.”

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