Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he chose to run for the White House because the Democratic primary field looked too weak.
“I started watching and listening to the candidates, and they had ideas that made no sense to me whatsoever,” Bloomberg told 60 Minutes on Sunday. “Donald Trump’s going to eat them for lunch.”
Bloomberg, one of the 10 richest people in the world, has spent more than $500 million of his own money on advertising to flood the airwaves with commercials attacking Trump and insisting he is the only candidate who can defeat Trump in the November general election.
A late addition to the now shrinking Democratic field, Bloomberg is banking on a strong Super Tuesday performance. As he rose in the polls, Bloomberg was hit with criticism over his record with women and minorities.
In the last two debates, Sen. Elizabeth Warren attacked him for allegedly telling a female employee at his company, who was pregnant, to “kill it.” His implementation and defense of the controversial stop-and-frisk policing practice during his tenure as mayor of New York City have also provided fodder for his Democratic competitors, despite Bloomberg’s apology.
Bloomberg aims to position himself as a moderate option for Democratic voters compared with more liberal candidates in the field, such as Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
Trump has nicknamed Bloomberg “Mini Mike” and argued the billionaire’s money can’t “buy” him the nomination.
