Starbucks founder Howard Schultz is being pushed to run against President Donald Trump in 2020, The New York Times is reporting.
"Howard Schultz is definitely being pursued," said David Gergen, who served as an adviser to four presidents. "He has a powerful social conscience. He comes from a very different place than the kind of chief executive with a big ego who wants the trappings of presidential power."
The newspaper noted Schultz, 63, is worth about $3 billion and seriously considered running last year. He decided against it after determining Hillary Clinton would be difficult to beat, the Times said.
And the Washington Examiner reported that Schultz had previously said he would not seek the White House because he was committed to his company. However, Schultz recently stepped down from his leadership post.
He's not the only big corporate name under discussion as a possible contender for the Democratic nomination, according to the Times. Also mentioned are Robert Iger of Disney, Marc Benioff of Salesforce.com, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, and television’s Oprah Winfrey.
"I feel many of these chief executives are responding to a public longing for a strongman, or woman, a strong leader," Gergen said. "There's a sense that's why Trump got elected."
But Gergen suggested some might be better off seeking other political offices.
"I think business chief executives tend to make better governors or mayors," he said. "They can be more pragmatic and less ideological. Some of the names you're hearing, I have trouble picturing them with the Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders wing of the party. I wouldn’t call that a match made in heaven."
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