BET Founder Says Current Democratic Presidential Candidates Aren’t ‘Capable Of Beating Trump’ Despite Polls
The founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), Robert Johnson, recently raised 2020 concerns for the entire field of Democratic candidates in the 2020 presidential election, saying that he’s not sure any of them have what it takes to unseat President Donald Trump come next November.
According to CNBC, Johnson made the claim on Friday during an exclusive interview, saying that it would take someone other than who’s in the current, nearly two-dozen strong lineup of Democratic candidates to beat Trump next year.
“I think the president has always been in a position where it’s his to lose based on his bringing a sort of disruptive force into what would be called political norms,” he said.
Johnson, the first black American billionaire and lifelong Democratic voter, explained several reasons why, in his opinion, the 2020 election is still Trump’s to lose, crediting the president for how he “brings his style” to tackle the biggest issues of the day, such as foreign policy.
Johnson also said that one of the weaknesses of the current Democratic field is that he thinks they tend to focus too heavily on what Trump says instead of concentrating on their own message to voters. That, Johnson claimed, is how Trump continues to “dominate the news cycle,” giving him an edge against his 2020 opponents.
The BET founder also took a shot at the candidates for generally veering too far into the left lane of politics, as he argued that most voters overall are moderate or closer to the middle of the spectrum.
“If you take a snapshot today, I don’t think that group is capable of beating Trump despite what the polls say,” Johnson said.
When asked whether his opinion on Trump’s strong chances of winning in 2020 translated into a possible personal vote for the 45th president, Johnson insisted on not wanting to become political about it.
“It means that I’m going to speak my mind, speak in an independent way based on the facts and not try to get caught up in the politics,” he said.
CNBC reported that the media mogul has gone on record on several occasions in the past with praise for the president’s performance, including his impact on the American economy.
Trump’s loss to many of the top-tier Democratic candidates in hypothetical 2020 match-ups in recent polls is not the only polling data point the president’s campaign is faced with. America’s opinion on whether or not Trump should be impeached and removed from office is another concern.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, a poll by CNN and the independent research firm SSRS indicated that half of Americans want the president both impeached and removed, which is more than double the support for such a move Americans had for former President Bill Clinton in 1998.
