BET founder says he declined an offer to be in Donald Trump's Cabinet
Bob Johnson, the founder of the BET network, claimed Tuesday that President-elect Donald Trump offered him a Cabinet position when they met earlier this month. "He hinted at something I could be interested in, and I quickly shut that down. It was a Cabinet position," Johnson said in an interview with CNBC, explaining that as an entrepreneur, "trying to work in a government structure" just doesn't "fit [his] mold."
In the same interview, Johnson reiterated his opinion that Trump is not "a racist." "I don't believe that he's anti-African-American. For too long, the African-American community has been ignored by the Republicans because they thought we were always locked with the Democrats," Johnson said, noting that he thinks Trump is neither "an establishment Republican" nor a Democrat. "[H]e's a business guy," Johnson said. "And business guys tend to look at where's the opportunity for a benefit."
Catch the rest of Johnson's interview below. Becca Stanek
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats


