Howard Schultz said Monday he would step down from his role as executive chairman of Starbucks, effective June 26.
Amid speculation about a possible run for president, Starbucks Chairman Emeritus Howard Schultz declined to talk specifically about his next step.
„There’s a lot of things I can do as a private citizen other than run for the presidency of the United States,“ Schultz said on CNBC’s „Squawk Box“ Tuesday. „Let’s just see what happens.“
„I don’t know what that means right now,“ he said. „But my concern for the country and the standing in the world, the lack of dignity, lack of respect coming from the administration. I think we can do much better.“
Schultz said Monday he would step down from his role as executive chairman of Starbucks, effective June 26. He oversaw the massive expansion of the Starbucks coffee chain over the past 40 years.
In recent years, Schultz has been taking a more active role in politics. Using his high profile at Starbucks, he has spoken out about public companies being socially responsible in a changing society.
Schultz has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and was an advocate for Hillary Clinton when she was a presidential candidate. His ideology appears to be left of center.
He reiterated his concerns about Trump’s presidency in his interview with CNBC Tuesday.
„I think the issues that we are facing in terms of the dysfunction and polarization that exists within the government is really based on a systematic problem of ideology and I think we need a very different view of how the government and how the country should be run,“ Schultz said.
At the company, he has pushed to give opportunities to veterans and refugees and expanded health benefits and college tuition assistance to workers.
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