Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg took aim at his fellow billionaire, calling Donald Trump “a unsafe demagogue” during a speech on the third night of the Democratic National Convention. But those of us who lived in NY can tell you: he’s awwwwwkward.
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“He came out of nowhere”, Trump said Thursday.
“Trump has left behind a well-documented record of bankruptcies and thousands of lawsuits and angry shareholders and contractors who feel cheated and disillusioned customers who feel ripped off. Trump says he wants to run the nation like he’s run his business”.
Mr Bloomberg’s $41.7 billion fortune makes him the eighth richest person in the world according to Forbes, which calculated Mr Trump’s net worth at $4.5 billion, putting him at 324th place in the list of world’s billionaires. “I’ve built a business, and I didn’t start it with a million-dollar check from my father”, he said in a slam to the real estate mogul’s background.
A self-described independent who has been a member of both parties, the billionaire said: “I know what it’s like to have neither party fully represent my views or values”. “And most of us who have our names on the door know that we are only as good as our word, but not Donald Trump”.
“I have a feeling that Bloomberg managed to move more actual undecided votes to Clinton than any other speaker so far”, conservative political commentator Andrew Sullivan wrote.
Trump had previously praised Bloomberg but in a tweet Friday said he lacked courage and couldn’t be elected to lead the Big Apple again today.
The former New York City mayor was already a notable choice for the DNC, since he has been registered as a Democrat, Republican, and Independent at various times during his life.
“No matter what you may think about her politics or her record, Hillary Clinton understands that this is not reality television; this is reality”.
Bloomberg first won the mayor’s office as a Republican but has often stood with Democrats, focusing much of his efforts since leaving office on gun control and fighting climate change.
Bloomberg also referred to Trump as “risky, reckless and radical”.
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Trump claims to be worth $10 billion, but fact checkers, evidently including Bloomberg, have questioned that figure. “I know Hillary Clinton is not flawless. No candidate is. But she is the right choice and the responsible choice in this election”.
