NEW YORK – Dave Portnoy, the outspoken founder of Barstool Sports and self-proclaimed pizza king, made some headlines recently during an appearance on the All In Podcast, where he didn’t hold back his thoughts on the current state of the Democratic Party. Portnoy slammed what he sees as the party’s undemocratic approach, specifically calling out the lack of a primary challenge against President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s rise to vice president without winning a single primary vote.
Dave Portnoy calls Kamala Harris “nutty” and criticizes the left for undermining democracy, claiming their actions are worse than anything Trump has done.
On the All In Podcast, Portnoy pointed out that Harris never faced a primary election, contrasting this with Trump’s… pic.twitter.com/GTGz1HqsPJ
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In typical Portnoy fashion, he didn’t mince words, calling Kamala Harris “nutty” and expressing his frustration over how the Democratic Party has handled the primary process. “To me, that’s crazy,” he said, referencing the lack of choices for voters on the Democratic side. Portnoy even argued that despite criticisms of Trump, at least the former president won his party’s nomination fair and square.
“I think what the Democrats have done is far worse than really anything Trump has done in terms of not allowing a primary. To me, that’s crazy. I’m somebody who, if I liked a candidate in the Democratic side, I could have potentially voted for that person, to not give people a choice,” he said. “They really still haven’t figured out, well, was he not prepared? Is he not mentally aware? Can he not run? Is he too old? He just thought he was going to lose. The fear of you just thought he was going to lose is not a real answer. He ran. You have to then let other people run. If he’s not mentally there, which I don’t think he is, Kamala has known that, and she just lied about it forever, and then they kick him out.”
He went on to take a swing at Democratic governance in states like New York and California, warning that he doesn’t want the entire country to end up resembling them under Harris’s influence. His remarks are classic Portnoy: blunt, controversial, and sure to ruffle feathers, especially with his claim that what the Democrats have done is “far worse” than anything Trump has done.
Portnoy’s comments echo a sentiment felt by some voters who feel disillusioned with the state of both political parties, particularly the handling of leadership succession and candidate selection. Whether you agree with him or not, Portnoy continues to make waves with his strong opinions that often straddle the line between politics and pop culture.
When asked if his position would impact his staff, which consists of younger bloggers and content creators, the Barstool CEO said all of his employees are feeling the financial crunch of the cost to live and work in New York City.
“No, because we hire… I think the hardest thing is just cost of living and taxes and things like that. For our employees to live in New York City, it’s extremely expensive,” he replied. “The people who think in our proper employees for us, they’re there. And by the way, we have across… At Barstool, we have super liberal, conserved, we have it all. And they clash internally like how normal humans would. But it’s really the cost of living. In taxes, it’s just really, really hard for a young person. You could pay them 200 grand a year, and that is barely enough for someone to live in Manhattan.”
