Starbucks' new CEO 'selfishly' doesn't want Howard Schultz to run for president

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Howard Schultz

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Howard Schultz

When news broke in December that Starbucks' long-time CEO Howard Schultz was stepping down, it fueled rumors that the coffee exec was considering a second career in politics.

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Publications from breakfast-centric website Extra Crispy to the Financial Times ran articles in recent months speculating whether or not Schultz was considering a president bid. The FT wrote that his last shareholders' meeting "sounded more like a stump speech than a message to investors."

As rumors swirl, Starbucks' new CEO said that the decision to pursue politics will be Schultz's alone.

"Selfishly, I love having Howard in the office next door, to help me and help Starbucks," Kevin Johnson told Business Insider, when asked if Schultz would make a good US president. "That would certainly be a very personal decision that he would have to make. But, I am a fan of Howard."

Johnson was officially appointed Starbucks CEO on Monday. Schultz will remain at the company as chairman of the board, with a focus on the company's upscale Reserve brand and the chain's social initiatives.

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Schultz has been outspoken on social issues as CEO of Starbucks.

In 2015, discussion of Schultz's political aspirations reached such a fever pitch that the executive published an op-ed in The New York Times explaining why he wasn't planning on running for president. But later in 2016, Schultz told CNN that he would "never say never" on a presidential run.

In the months before the 2016 election, Schultz endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. Had she won, Schultz would have reportedly been her top pick for labor secretary.