Bloomberg hints at 2020 run: ‘I’ll take a look at it’
Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York and billionaire owner of a business news network, hinted at a possible 2020 presidential bid in a new interview.
“I am focusing on Nov. 6 and then I’ve said, you know, a few months later I’ll take a look at it and see,” Bloomberg said in an interview with CNN released Monday.
Michael Bloomberg on 2020 run for president: “I am focusing on November 6th and then I’ve said you know a few months later I’ll take a look at it and see.” https://t.co/hf7L1GYpD1 pic.twitter.com/Rfis880nFw
— The Hill (@thehill) October 30, 2018
“I’m trying to go to as many places as I can in this country and talk to people and see what’s on their mind and understand whether I think with my experience I could help them get where they want to go and then try to convince them that I’m the right person for it,” the former mayor continued.{mosads}
“But at this point it’s that I don’t like the word exploratory but I am trying to focus on Nov. 6,” Bloomberg, who re-registered as a Democrat earlier this month, added.
A source told the British newspaper the Times last month that Bloomberg planning to run as a Democrat in 2020.
“Mike Bloomberg told me he is going to run in 2020,” a source told the Times. “He has the money to see it through while other candidates knock themselves out.”
Bloomberg, now 76, has been unwilling to rule out a run in recent interviews, and previously considered presidential runs in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
Bloomberg told CNN in the Monday interview that he would continue to mull over running in the 2020 election even if former Vice President Joe Biden jumps into the race.
“I have a case to present, if I’d like to present it,” Bloomberg said. “And if the public likes it, that’s fine, and if they don’t, that’s what freedom of choice is.”
While the former mayor also said he believes he would be welcomed by “a large percentage” of Democrats should he plan to run, he said he doesn’t “with everything that the Democratic establishment has dictated as their positions.”
“I come from a world of being practical. … Having grand schemes that we probably can’t afford, that a lot of people wouldn’t like, is a good way to elect Donald Trump to another four years,” Bloomberg added.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.