BET founder Robert Johnson said the 2020 election is President Trump’s to lose and that no current Democratic presidential candidate is “capable of beating” him.
In an interview with CNBC that aired Friday, Johnson, who described himself as a longtime Democrat, was bullish of the party’s chances of winning the White House in the upcoming election.
{mosads}“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,” Johnson said.
He noted that he didn’t believe any of the current 2020 Democratic candidates in the crowded field appear to be “enough in the center.”
“If you take a snapshot today, I don’t think that group is capable of beating Trump despite what the polls say,” Johnson said.
Several national polls have shown a handful of the top Democratic candidates, most notably Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), along with former Vice President Joe Biden, with leads against Trump in hypothetical matchups.
Johnson has previously praised Trump for some of the “positive things” the president has done during his time in the White House, particularly noting what Trump has done to grow the economy.
But he stopped short of saying whether he would support Trump in the upcoming election.
“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.