Howard Schultz slams Trump for Syria pullout

DENVER — Former Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz is slamming President Trump for pulling most U.S. troops out of Syria.

Schultz is mulling a presidential run as an independent candidate. He criticizes Democrats for moving too far left and Trump for cheapening the nature of politics.

Schultz was asked about foreign policy at a town hall in Denver Thursday at the start of a two-day Colorado tour.

He said Trump's abrupt withdrawal from Syria will long be remembered as an error. The president in December announced he was pulling troops out of the Middle Eastern country. He has since agreed to leave a skeletal force there.

Schultz said the move gave an opening to Russia and China in the Middle East. It also weakened the U.S. campaign against the Islamic State.