Posted on 10/01/2020 12:46:23 AM PDT by lasereye
Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson told CNBC on Wednesday he’s viewing the election between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden through the lens of being a businessman.
“Where I come out as a businessman, I will take the devil I know over the devil I don’t know anytime of the week,” Johnson said on “Squawk Box.”
Johnson, when pressed, refused to outright endorse Trump, instead saying as a longtime corporate executive he knows how the president will react to important issues of the day such as coronavirus and he does not have a handle on Biden would run the country.
“I know what President Trump has done and what he’s said he will do. I don’t know what Vice President Biden has said he will do other than masks, listen to the scientists,” the 74-year-old Johnson said. He suggested the coronavirus response should weigh the tradeoffs of “pandemic safety” versus “economy growth.”
By contrast, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has previously said “the path of the U.S. economic recovery will depend in large part on our success in containing the virus.”
Johnson has been a big Democratic donor over the years but also has spoken positively about Trump’s economic policy. In 2016, he said he declined a position in Trump’s Cabinet, saying it was not due to politics but because he could not deal with government red tape.
Johnson said the American people were the big losers in Tuesday night’s first presidential debate, saying the free-for-all was a waste of 90 minutes. He repeatedly suggested he didn’t learn enough in the debate about Biden, the two-term vice president under former President Barack Obama.
“What I had hoped he would do would be a reasonable, relaxed balance, if you will, in a debate where he would talk about specific policies, particularly as it impacts Black Americans,” said Johnson, founder and chairman of investment firm The RLJ Cos.
From a business standpoint only, not from a racial injustice standpoint, Johnson reiterated that it’s better for corporate executives to know what they’re getting in a president rather trying to guess.
“I would rather know who I’m going to deal with in the White House. I’m going to know what regulatory decisions they’re going to make. What fiscal policy decisions, what monetary policies they’re going to make than to be taking a chance, particularly when you have the turbulence of a pandemic,” said Johnson, who in the past has been complimentary of Trump’s business-centric policies.
Asked specifically Wednesday about Trump not explicitly condemning White supremacist groups during the debate, Johnson pivoted his answer to the coronavirus pandemic and said he’s not confident either Biden or Trump could have taken different steps to significantly reduce the Covid-19 death total.
The U.S. has the most coronavirus deaths of any country in the world, with 206,005, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. That’s more than 20% of the global total, which exceeded 1 million this week.
Entrepreneur John Hope Bryant, who also founded a financial literacy nonprofit, said later on “Squawk Box” that he was disappointed with the state of the presidential race. “I don’t know where we go from here. This is not about picking ‘a devil,’” he said, referring to Johnson’s comments.
“Americans want vision and a plan and we lost out last night,” Bryant added. “It’s not about picking a devil. The fact that we got to this base of this conversation, where we’re talking about the devil we know or whatever that is, is troubling, concerning and frustrating.”
I’ll take substance over style
WHy didn’t this guy moderate the debate? Would have been way better. <3
Good eye, lasereye & Robert Johnson.
A businessman and a civilian vs. a 47-year do nothing politician. This one’s almost easier than Hillaryous Rotten Criminal (even Louis Farrakhan called her “wicked”)
I would say that this is sort of a big deal.
He doesn’t know what Biden will do? Well as a matter of fact neither does Biden.
I will say this over Johnson and business interviews that he’s done over the past decade...he’s fairly clever, and can talk over things in a way that regular people grasp and understand. He’s not an idiot, like some of these CEOs.
There’s nothing out this debate that would give a Fortune-500 CEO any positive feelings over Biden, his style or his plans. That was very obvious from the debate.
“He doesn’t know what Biden will do”.
Neither does Biden.
CC
He doesn’t know what Biden will do?
Oh the irony of Biden being in public office and no one really knows what Biden or even the democrat party has up their sleeves.
Picking between devils? I am not so sure about that as the devil is the father of lies.
Ill take the old white man plantation owner for 50 alex.
BET guy got his, F yall!
I always tell my wife: It’s not the size of the wand, but the magic that it does!
Great article...Mr. Johnson doesn’t know what Biden will do...because Soros will be pulling K. Harris strings while J.Biden will be in the basement...
This is the guy thats calling for $14 trillion in slavery reparations.
This is actually YUGE!
The BET CEO, which blacks hang onto as a guiding light, said this morning that he is choosing Trump.
Millions and millions of Americans (including bedwetting suburban females) are in silent agreement with him.
Trump should have insisted on BET hosting the debate, talk about throwing a curve ball to the Rats.
Honestly I believe BET would have done an adult job compared to Chris Wallace. The bar has been set very low. The bar is on the ground.
I do too.
Really it’s only whites that call Trump “racist”.
The others who call him “racist” are White Liberals trapped in black bodies.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.