As if there aren’t enough people running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, I guess billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg thought one more choice couldn’t hurt.
He officially announced his candidacy today and said his campaign will be squarely aimed at defeating Trump, according to CNN.
“I’m running for president to defeat Donald Trump and rebuild America. We cannot afford four more years of President Trump’s reckless and unethical actions,” Bloomberg said.
But just as quick as he was to make his announcement, people immediately started pointing out Bloomberg’s leadership issues and history, especially the controversial “stop and frisk” law in New York City, which he publicly just apologized for this past week.
“I was wrong,” Bloomberg said. A judge deemed the tactic unconstitutional a few years back.
Bloomberg, who had said earlier this year that he would not run, decided to go ahead and throw his hat in the race because he doesn’t think there’s a candidate in the current field of Democrats who can defeat Trump next November, close sources told CNN.
To kick start his campaign, he has placed at least $37 million worth of television advertising over the next two weeks, according to data from Kantar Media/CMAG.
The ads highlight the former mayor’s biography — “He could have just been the middle class kid … but Mike Bloomberg became the guy who did good,” said the ad — and his post-mayoral work on combating climate change. Then the spot turns to Trump, saying now the mayor is “taking on him” as an image of Trump is still on the screen.
The spot ends with narrator saying “‘Mike Bloomberg for President” with Bloomberg saying “I’m Mike Bloomberg and I approve this message.”
Roommates, what are your thoughts on Michael Bloomberg running for president? Let us know!
