CNN showed a clip of a man heckling former Starbucks CEO and potential 2020 presidential candidate Howard Schultz during a Monday night book event that featured a question-and-answer session.
WATCH:
“I am seriously considering running for president as a centrist independent. And I wanted to clarify the word independent, which I view merely as a designation on the ballot,” Schultz stated.
A random heckler interrupted, “Don’t help elect Trump you egotistical, billionaire asshole!”
Many agree with the heckler.
“I have a concern that if he did run, that essentially, it would provide [President] Donald Trump with his best hope of getting re-elected,” Julian Castro — a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate himself — said Sunday, when asked by CNN about Schultz’s possible run. “I would suggest to Mr. Schultz to truly think about the negative impact that that might make.” (RELATED: Former Starbucks CEO Explains Why He Might Run As An Independent)
“The best thing that Howard Schultz can do for the country is invest in education, voting rights, civil rights and climate advocacy. There is zero appetite for this, and there is an urgent need for the Democratic candidate to win in 2020,” Democratic Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz tweeted Saturday.
Even billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who has floated the idea of running himself, released a Monday statement that said, “In 2020, the great likelihood is that an independent would just split the anti-Trump vote and end up re-electing the president. That’s a risk I refused to run in 2016 and we can’t afford to run it now. We must remain united, and we must not allow any candidate to divide or fracture us. The stakes couldn’t be higher.”
When confronted with these criticisms, Schultz responded, “I’m concerned about one thing: Doing everything I can to help families who have been left behind, and to restore dignity and honor back in the Oval Office.”