Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced he is “seriously considering running for president” Sunday night, raising the prospect of a 2020 election with at least two billionaire candidates.
As far as billionaires go, Schultz and Trump could hardly be more different. The former Starbucks CEO grew up in subsidized housing in Brooklyn. He started working at Starbucks in 1982, back when it was just a modest Seattle business. Today the coffee chain has more than 15,000 stores around the world, and Schultz is worth an estimated $3.4 billion. “I’m still this kid from Brooklyn who wanted to fight his way out,” Schultz said when he appeared on the cover of Forbes’ billionaires issue three years ago.
Trump grew up as the son of a rich man, who developed buildings not far from the project where Schultz was raised. Around the same time Schultz says his father beat him “to a pulp,” Trump’s dad was reportedly handing over properties to the future president. Such upbringings may explain some of the policy differences between Trump and Schultz, a lifelong Democrat who said he would run as a “centrist independent.”
In addition, Schultz served as CEO of a global, publicly traded company, meaning he had to answer to a variety of stakeholders—investors, employees, governments and customers. Donald Trump, who ran a private business that he owned outright, never really had to answer to anyone. Trump has always viewed himself as a dealmaker, operating with a zero-sum mentality. “Man is the most vicious of all animals,” he told People in 1981. “Life is a series of battles ending in victory or defeat.”
Given their experience, it’s no surprise that Schultz has a different outlook on international trade issues. “Is it in our national interest to have a fight with Mexico, Canada, the EU, China, NATO? Is it in our interest?” he asked on 60 Minutes Sunday night. “Give me a break. No, it’s not in our interest. These are our friends. These are our allies. We’re much better as a country being part of the world order.”
Schultz also said he would handle his business affairs differently than the president. Asked whether he would release his tax returns, Schultz replied, “100%. Yes.” Donald Trump made a similar commitment during his campaign, only to back away from it later. “We can do it today if [Trump] wants,” Schultz said.
The onetime Starbucks executive also said “there would be a complete separation” between his company and his candidacy. Such claims are easier for Schultz to make, since he stepped down as executive chairman of Starbucks and left the board in June last year. Schultz does still own just over 3% of Starbucks’ shares—worth about $2.5 billion.
Trump, by contrast, continued to pursue business deals during his 2016 campaign. “There was a good chance that I wouldn’t have won, in which case I would have gotten back into the business,” Trump explained two months ago. “And why should I lose lots of opportunities?”
After winning the election, Trump suggested he was stepping away from his company. “Legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations,” he tweeted. “The presidency is a far more important task!” But documents later revealed that Trump in fact retained ownership of his real estate empire, while delegating day-to-day responsibilities to his sons Don Jr. and Eric, who eventually admitted that he planned to give his father financial updates.
Like Trump, Schultz said a life in business had prepared him for the toughest tasks of the presidency, including serving as commander-in-chief. “I have a long history of recognizing I’m not the smartest person in the room,” he said. “In order to make great decisions about complex problems, I have to recruit and attract people who are smarter than me, more experienced, more skilled, and we’ve got to create an understanding that we need a creative debate in the room to make these kinds of decisions.”
Here again, Schultz’ business experience informs a different leadership style than Trump’s. After bemoaning the American political system during the Republican National Convention, Trump proclaimed: “I alone can fix it.”
Schultz is worth roughly $300 million more than Donald Trump, the richest president in American history. The former Starbucks executive made it clear that he is prepared to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a potential bid.
“I’ll say it this way,” he told 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley. “We’ll be fully resourced to do what’s necessary.” Asked if the prospect of spending $300 or $500 million changed his mind, Schultz replied succinctly: “No.”
How bout we put some small time poor MF’er in office and see what happens
I mean , how much more fcked up can it get ?
Didn’t ya just love this sentence?:
“We’re much better as a country being part of the world order.”
.
starbucks zionist commie coffee
Will never happen, his Name is “Schultz”…!!!
“I know nothing”….Where is Colonel Clink…?
Schultz is a German jew name. Of course he’s gonna be an open border commie infiltrator..f#cling jew bastard…put a bullet through his forehead before he has the opportunity to infect a TV audience with his filthy jew agenda. World Order my eye!
HE WOULD JUST BE THE NEW TRUMP, OBAMA,BUSH,CLINTON,BUSH, FORD, NIXON, REAGEN,-LINCOLN, ETC ETC (AFTER THE 1860,S)JUST ANOTHER JEW SUCKER..
FURTHER PROOF THE GOOD OLE USA IS A CORPORATION;
Like Trump, Schultz said a life in business had prepared him for the toughest tasks of the presidency, including serving as commander-in-chief.
THEY JUST THROW IT IN YOUR FACE
Yep. You pretty much summed up what I was going to say.