Howard Schultz has not had the most successful run at the presidency so far. And his latest comments both do and don't feel like a break from his norm.

At his latest book event, hosted by CNBC host and New York Times reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin, Schultz was asked if billionaires wield too much power in the U.S.

Schultz, himself a billionaire, answered thusly:

"The moniker 'billionaire' now has become the catchphrase. I would rephrase that and say that 'people of means' have been able to leverage their wealth and their interest in ways that are unfair, and I think that speaks to the inequality but it also directly speaks to the special interests that are paid for people of wealth and corporations who are looking for influence. And they have such unbelievable influence on the politicians who are steeped in the ideology of both parties.

And once again, I go back to this: If I should run for president, I am not in bed with any party. I am not in bed with any special interest. All I'm trying to do is one thing: walk in the shoes of the American people."

This answer is more sophisticated than it first seems ("billionaire objects to the label 'billionaire,' prefers something softer"), since technically he is trying to widen the umbrella of who U.S. citizens recognize as controlling interests in their politics.

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Beyond that, many corporations and wealthy citizens may fall short of the "billionaire" label, but wield significant power nonetheless.

Of course, his point also somewhat obscures that, again, he himself is a billionaire. And while he may pledge to "walk in the shoes of the American people," his perspective may be a bit skewed on what exactly us non-billionaires enjoy.

After all, our current president, also a "person of means" in some sense, also pledged to be free of special interest sway.

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Unsurprisingly, Schultz's latest book event led to much consternation from people on Twitter who objected to his couching of the label. Click through the slideshow above to see their reactions.