Starbucks founder, unfazed by brickbats, pitches Kansans on independent presidential bid [View all]

[Celerity]

https://www.kansascity.com/latest-news/article229018284.html

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has gained a fair share of attention—and blistering criticism—since floating the idea of an independent presidential candidacy earlier this year. Many Democrats saw the Brooklyn-born billionaire as another entitled executive, better off in Davos than playing a potential spoiler who could return the White House to President Donald Trump in 2020.

But Schultz, 65, who started his bus tour of middle America in Johnson County Tuesday afternoon, said he remains unfazed. “We expected what was going to come,” he said, sipping a Doubleshot Espresso as his private bus, tricked out with leather seats and plasma screens, headed west on I-70 toward Lawrence and the University of Kansas.

“I also think it’s a false narrative what they’re saying about I’m going to be a spoiler. Not true. Lifelong Republicans are going to be very interested in what I have to say on one issue alone -- and that is character. Lifelong republicans will not vote for a Democrat, especially one that represents socialist values.”

One other point:

“I’ve never been to Davos, just for the record.”

Although he hasn’t formally announced his candidacy (he plans to do so over the summer), that’s not stopping him from getting out on the trail. He plans to spend the rest of the week visiting Kansans before continuing on to Arizona and Utah.

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