Trump: Ex-Starbucks CEO Schultz ‘doesn’t have the guts to run for president’

President Trump on Monday taunted Howard Schultz, who is considering a 2020 presidential bid, tweeting that the former Starbucks CEO “doesn’t have the ‘guts’ to run.”

“Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the ‘smartest person,’ ” Trump tweeted. “Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!” 

Howard Schultz doesn’t have the “guts” to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the “smartest person.” Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2019 

{mosads}Schultz said in a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday night that he’s “seriously thinking of running for president” as a “centrist independent.”

“I have a long history of recognizing, I’m not the smartest person in the room, that in order to make great decisions about complex problems, I have to recruit and attract people who are smarter than me and more experienced, more skilled,” Schultz said when asked about his credentials to serve as commander in chief.

Schultz told The New York Times he will make his final decision on a campaign after a three-month book tour.

Schultz served as Starbucks’s CEO from 1986-2000, and again from 2008-2017.

His public declaration that he’s considering a bid was met with backlash from many Democrats who urged him not to enter the race. Many on social media expressed concerns that an independent bid could siphon votes from a Democratic candidate, and boost Trump’s reelection chances.

A number of Democrats have already entered the 2020 race or announced exploratory committees, including Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).  

The field is expected to grow in the coming months, with former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg among those considered possible 2020 candidates.