Howard Schultz Is Stepping Down From His Position At Starbucks, Hints That He’s Eyeing The Presidency

This might not directly affect you as a consumer, but who knows what the ramifications will be politically.

Back to that thought in a second…

Starbucks’ executive chairman Howard Schultz is stepping down.

Howard Schultz, the outspoken executive chairman of Starbucks, will leave the company at the end of the month, bringing to an end the tenure of a socially conscious entrepreneur who turned a local Seattle coffee chain into a global giant with more than 28,000 stores in 77 countries.

Here’s where things get weird…It doesn’t sound like he plans to retire retire. He might have his eye on the presidency.

Mr. Schultz’s decision to retire, a plan he said he privately outlined to the board a year ago, will most likely stoke speculation that he is considering a run for president in 2020. He is frequently mentioned as a potential candidate for the Democratic Party and has become increasingly vocal on political issues, including criticizing President Trump last year as “a president that is creating episodic chaos every day.”

While Mr. Schultz, 64, typically bats away speculation about his political ambitions with an eye roll or a pithy answer, on Monday he acknowledged for the first time that it is something he may consider.

“I want to be truthful with you without creating more speculative headlines,” he told The New York Times. “For some time now, I have been deeply concerned about our country — the growing division at home and our standing in the world.”

Oh boy. Here we go…

“One of the things I want to do in my next chapter is to figure out if there is a role I can play in giving back,” he continued. “I’m not exactly sure what that means yet.”

Asked directly if he was considering running for president, he said: “I intend to think about a range of options, and that could include public service. But I’m a long way from making any decisions about the future.”

In other words, yes. He’s considering it.

Breaking News: Howard Schultz will leave @Starbucks at end of month. End of era. Says he will consider “public service” among options. Speculation will mount about 2020. I’m going on @CNBC NOW to discuss. Read my story here: https://t.co/gvoSuwWP0y

— Andrew Ross Sorkin (@andrewrsorkin) June 4, 2018

Starbucks shares fall 1.3% after-hours; executive chairman Howard Schultz will step down in June https://t.co/UkfFtvPEjK pic.twitter.com/65j8yNB9Ez

— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) June 4, 2018

Howard Schultz opening the door to a 2020 campaign in this interview with @andrewrsorkin https://t.co/R9x6gLQqjM pic.twitter.com/459xZ6yqSu

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 4, 2018

Forget Biden. We could potentially have a Trump vs. Schultz 2020 match.

Lord have mercy.

PS- this tweet tho.

Best thing about the Howard Schultz presidency? EVERYONE gets to use the White House bathrooms.

— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) June 4, 2018

h/t New York Times