Ex-Starbucks chief Howard Schultz’s bid for Presidential race slammed by Democrats
29 Jan 2019
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’s bid to run as an independent candidate in US Presidential elections has been blasted by many in the Democratic party, who believe it would boost the prospects for Donald Trump.
Billionaire Schultz, who has been a lifelong Democrat, announced that he was considering running as an independent in the Presidential elections. But Democrats fear that it would cause disarray in the party and split the anti-Trump vote of the party.
“I am seriously thinking of running for president,” Schultz told an interviewer. “I will run as a centrist independent, outside of the two-party system we're living at a most-fragile time; not only the fact that this president is not qualified to be the president, but the fact that both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics.”
Expectedly, President Trump hit back at Schultz and tweeted: “Howard Schultz doesn’t have the "guts" to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the 'smartest person.' Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!”
Critics within the Democratic Party were also incensed with Schultz. “If Schultz entered the race as an independent, we would consider him a target,” said Patrick McHugh of Priorities USA, which spent $200 million in the 2016 Presidential elections. “We would do everything we can to ensure that his candidacy is unsuccessful.” McHugh was also the chief strategist for former President Barack Obama.
Dismissing Schultz, he said Americans were not “looking for another selfish billionaire to enter the race.”