Now a political independent, Bloomberg considered making a third-party run for president this year before opting against a campaign, expressing worry he would siphon away votes from Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and inadvertently help elect Trump. “Trump says he wants to run the nation like he’s running his business”, he said, noting Trump’s history of bankruptcies and bilking contractors.
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“And we must unite around the candidate who can defeat a unsafe demagogue”, Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg held nothing back in his prime-time convention smackdown of Trump on Wednesday – calling The Donald “a unsafe demagogue” and a “risky, radical and reckless” choice for President.
Bloomberg, who served as New York Mayor from 2002-2013, was first active in the Democratic Party until 2000, and then joined the Republicans before eventually becoming an independent.
“Together, let’s elect a sane, competent person”, Bloomberg said, concluding his scathing remarks.
“We don’t need a bomb thrower”, he added.
As of July 28, the day after Bloomberg’s speech, Trump had not responded to Bloomberg.
Trump’s reversal came after Bloomberg, a Republican, delivered a blistering speech at Wednesday’s Democratic National Convention, blasting the GOP presidential nominee.
While Bloomberg ran as a Republican for mayor initially, he previously supported the Democratic party and by his second term in office he was officially an independent. “I’m a New Yorker”.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Hillary Clinton is the right choice this November”, he said. “Hillary Clinton understands this is not reality television this is reality”.
Trump said he was particularly surprised, given he had worked on projects with the Bloomberg administration, including the public Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in The Bronx. He was a political novice when he launched an unlikely bid for mayor in 2001. “And I didn’t start it with a million-dollar check from my father”.
Advisers would not say how much to expect him to focus in his speech on pushing Clinton versus criticizing Trump.
A tweet from Conservative Review Senior Editor Michelle Maulkin did the same thing, citing a different story: “DNC speaker Michael Bloomberg, the elitist hypocrite who doesn’t live by his own health rules: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/dining/23bloom.html?pagewanted=all …”
“There are times when I disagree with Hillary”.
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He also made a dig at Trump’s image of self-made wealth.
