In the years before he confirmed his plans to leave Starbucks on Monday, Howard Schultz took an active role in politics through both his words and money.

Schultz has previously denied speculation that he could run for president. Still, he indicated Monday that he will leave the door open to a career in politics once he exits his role as the coffee chain's executive chairman later this month.

"I want to be truthful with you without creating more speculative headlines. For some time now, I have been deeply concerned about our country — the growing division at home and our standing in the world. One of the things I want to do in my next chapter is to figure out if there is a role I can play in giving back. I'm not exactly sure what that means yet," he told Andrew Ross Sorkin of CNBC and The New York Times on Monday.

He told employees that he will think about "a range of options" from "philanthropy to public service."