Billionaires of the world have voiced their displeasure with another billionaire Donald Trump becoming president. Mark Cuban has been extremely vocal in his distaste for The Donald, Warren Buffet has picked apart his economic policies, and now Richard Branson is giving his two cents. On Tuesday, Branson told CNBC how Trump doesn’t have the characteristics of a worthy president.
The British-born billionaire said he is all for an entrepreneur running for president but doesn’t feel that Trump has qualities that could help a successful entrepreneur become president:
“I’ve listened to what he had to say and I think what he’s had to say is dangerous and hurtful. He’s not a good listener. He’s not somebody, I think, who can get a great team of people around him to run this country. He’s had a lot of disaster with his companies.”
And his criticisms didn’t stop there. Branson said great entrepreneurs build their businesses by treating people with respect, which is something he said he doesn’t see in Trump. One might think Branson is making these summaries from the outside looking in, but the eccentric billionaire has actually met Trump. In a blog post, simply titled “Meeting Donald Trump,” Branson describes a lunch meeting where he says Trump came across a petty man who would go after anyone who crosses him:
“Even before the starters arrived he began telling me about how he had asked a number of people for help after his latest bankruptcy and how five of them were unwilling to help. He told me he was going to spend the rest of his life destroying these five people. He didn’t speak about anything else and I found it very bizarre … I left the lunch feeling disturbed and saddened by what I’d heard. What concerns me most, based upon my personal experiences with Donald Trump, is his vindictive streak, which could be so dangerous if he got into the White House.”
Branson said he told Trump how having this attitude could eat him up inside, and he should find something more constructive to do with his life. He then joked about hopoing his advice didn’t lead to him to run for president. So, if Trump does ascend to the throne of president, the blame may rest solely upon Richard Branson.
