BET founder Bob Johnson said on Tuesday he turned down a cabinet position offered by Donald Trump during a meeting with the president-elect earlier this month.
Johnson, a Democrat, told CNBC that Trump "hinted" about a role in the administration during Nov. 20 meeting with top advisers Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus, and Jared Kushner at the Trump National Golf Club.
"He hinted at something I could be interested in, and I quickly shut that down. It was a cabinet position," Johnson said.
"But I can't work for the government ... because to me as an entrepreneur trying to work in a government structure where you got to go through 15 different layers of decision-making to get want you want done doesn't fit my mold," he continued.
Johnson, who has known Trump for years, said he believes the president-elect will be open to working with African-Americans to advance the economy.
"To me, I never thought Donald Trump, and I still don't believe it today, was a racist. I don't believe that he's anti-African-American," he said. "For too long, the African-American community has been ignored by the Republicans because they thought we were always locked with the Democrats."
Though Trump is neither a Democrat nor a Republican, he continued.
"He's a business guy. And business guys tend to look at where's the opportunity for a benefit," Johnson said.