Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said in an interview with CNN Wednesday that he is backing Hillary Clinton for president, citing the “vitriolic display of bigotry and hate” on the “other side”.
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The Starbucks CEO’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton was made during an interview with Poppy Harlow at the CNNMoney American Opportunity conference being held in NY.
When Harlow asked whether the statement meant Schultz was officially endorsing Clinton, he replied, “I think I just did”.
Schultz supported President Obama in the 2012 election.
Schultz was named Fortune’s 2011 Businessperson of the Year for delivering record financial returns for the company while leading an effort to spur job creation in the U.S.
Schultz acknowledged his critics in his remarks to employees earlier this year, saying, “I have been criticized because people say ‘Well his role is to create shareholder value and profits, not to use Starbucks as a political tool'”. At age 63, Schultz is younger than both Clinton and Donald Trump, but he batted away any notion that he’s gunning to run soon. “I would never say never, but this is not the right time”. One of the profiles is of Christians and Muslims coming together in a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee.
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Schultz said in the interview he’s “optimistic and positive” about the future of the country. According to campaign finance website OpenSecrets, he has a long history of supporting Democratic candidates, donating to Obama and John Edwards in the 2008 election cycle and Congressional candidates like Terri Sewell, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray. Last year, Starbucks’ decision to remove Christmas symbols from its holiday season coffee cups drew the ire of Trump, who suggest to boycott Starbucks.
