Television host Mike Rowe, known for his role on Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, told BuzzFeed News that a lot of Americans he’s met while filming his television shows still feel as “fundamentally ... unheard” as they were leading up to the 2016 election.
While Rowe said he tries to stay “apolitical,” he speculated that Donald Trump would win the presidency in 2016 because, as the TV host put it on BuzzFeed News’ Profile, “whether it was right or wrong there, was a perception that they needed to hear from somebody else, and it didn't really matter who it was.”
“I think a lot of people still think we're fundamentally busted,” Rowe said. “It's Trump or Hillary. Those are my choices in 2016. Those choices are skinny, you know, and it's going to force us to be ‘us or them.’”
As the host of Returning the Favor, a Facebook Watch series, Rowe travels across the United States and features people who are do-gooders in their own communities. He also surprises them with financial rewards and resources to continue to do their work.
The show, which started in 2017, is currently in its third season.
Rowe also said he thinks “a third or fourth party would be interesting,” mentioning how former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz recently announced his campaign intentions for 2020.
“He got smacked down real hard by a lot of people who would probably have voted for him had he stayed in his lane,” Rowe said. “I think a lot of the country is still exactly where they were a couple of years ago because the choices are kind of exactly the same.”
Watch the full interview at 8 a.m. ET Sunday on the BuzzFeed News Profile Facebook page.