Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz endorses Hillary Clinton for president
Mr Schultz has been talking to investors about the uncertainty of the election
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Your support makes all the difference.What can you tell about someone’s political preferences from the way they order their Starbucks’ coffee?
Does a single espresso suggest Clintonesque seriousness and focus. Does a Iced Salted Caramel Mocha indicate Trumpian excess and gaudiness. And what about someone who orders a cup of tea - a staunch liberterian or else just a lost British tourist?
But what is clear is the political preferences of the man behind all these drinks. Howard Schultz, the founder and CEO of the world’s largest largest coffee-shop chain, has declared his support for Hillary Clinton, saying he remains optimistic about America despite effort by some politicians and the media to paint the nation with “cloudiness and despair.”
“I’m hopeful that after the election - and hopefully Hillary Clinton will be elected president - that we will begin to see a level of unity and people coming together,” Mr Schultz told CNN.
When asked if he had officially backed Clinton with that statement, the CEO responded “I guess I just did. I think it's obvious Hillary Clinton needs to be the next president.”
Mr Schultz, 63, has always been vocal about broader social and political issues, more so than most corporate leaders. And he has often brought up the election during Starbucks' quarterly conference calls with analysts.
This summer, Mr Schultz said every brand was facing challenges as consumers confronted a “very uncertain election,” and earlier this year he told a group of employees that the election had become “almost a circus of yelling bombastic attacks, of a lack of respect, of a lack of dignity.”
“I think we are all rightfully concerned about the promise of the country and the America dream,” Mr Schultz said on Wednesday.
His endorsement is one of many Ms Clinton has earned from some of America’s top business leaders. Other prominent backers include Berkshire Hathaway’s chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman, who is a Republican.
The backing from Schultz also comes at a time when the polls show the race between Clinton and Republican businessman Donald Trump is tightening and looking close to even according a poll released this week.
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