President Donald Trump took his first Twitter swipe at fellow billionaire businessman Howard Schultz Monday after the former Starbucks chief announced plans Sunday to seek a presidential run as a “centrist independent.”
“Howard Schultz doesn’t have the ‘guts’ to run for President!” Trump tweeted, adding that after watching his Sunday night 60 Minutes interview, he agrees Schultz isn’t the “smartest person.”
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2019
Trump continued one of his notorious Twitter hits by adding the country already has the “smartest person” leading it and hopes Schultz, a longtime Democrat, is still paying rent on the Starbucks in Trump Tower.
Schultz tweeted Sunday that he was “seriously considering running for president as a centrist independent,” later adding that America’s top two political parties are “more divided than ever,” including a link to his personal website.
I love our country, and I am seriously considering running for president as a centrist independent.
— Howard Schultz (@HowardSchultz) January 28, 2019
Several Democrats almost immediately came out against Schultz’s potential run, warning that his Independent bid could splinter votes in favor of Trump, thus re-electing him. Others even floated the idea of boycotting Starbucks if Schultz decides to run.
“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 former Housing and Urban Development secretary under the Obama administration and a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, told CNN Sunday.
.@HowardSchultz running for POTUS as an independent would put the froth on @realDonaldTrump ‘s Cinnamon Dolce Latte, splitting the opposition and making Trump’s low ceiling potentially high enough.https://t.co/O6HsJAL8sP
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) January 21, 2019
Others stated Schultz’s Independent bid is not what the country needs right now.
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.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) January 26, 2019
Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress and a former adviser to Hillary Clinton, threatened to boycott the coffee chain over Schultz’s “vanity projects.” (RELATED: How Much Did It Take For Joe Biden To Help A Republican Win His Race? A Cool $200K)
“If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because I’m not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win,” Tanden wrote on Twitter Saturday.
Schultz told Axios that he’s “unfazed” by the rush of pushback from Democrats online, and said in his 60 Minutes interview that he’s “not, in any way, in bed with a party.”
“I don’t care if you’re a Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, Republican. Bring me your ideas. And I will be an independent person, who will embrace those ideas,” he added.
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