GOP operative and never-Trumper Steve Schmidt stormed out of the podcast he helped found when asked about his role advising former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on a possible presidential bid.
According to a Sunday Daily Beast report, Schmidt was unhappy about the premise of the episode from the beginning and cursed for several minutes about having to defend himself.
Even after he calmed down enough to do the interview, it didn’t take long for him to explode again while discussing Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) tax plan.
“Will Derek Jeter or another athlete not hit another home run because they’re going to get taxed at 70?” co-host Adam Levine asked. “What’s the economic behavior that he thinks is anti-growth, other than his own pocket?”
“This is bullshit,” Schmidt said. “I’m not doing this.”
He took off his headset and left the set. Soon after, per the Daily Beast, he threatened to sue the studio for airing the interview, then offered to buy the recording after his threat fell flat.
He explained his reaction to the Daily Beast. “My objection is not on a tough question. It’s the surreality of having a podcast hijacked from me. Until this recording, I had always thought this was Elise’s and my podcast,” he said, referring to Elise Jordan, a host and founder.
Jordan left the podcast after the interview.
I am so grateful to everyone who listened to the Words Matter @WMM_podcast. Unfortunately, I have decided to step away from the company Steve and I co-founded but hope we return soon on a new platform.
— Elise Jordan (@Elise_Jordan) February 10, 2019
