Report: Michael Bloomberg Plotting 2020 Presidential Run as a Democrat

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg addresses the United States Conference of May
Joe Raedle/Getty

Former New York City mayor and gun control proponent Michael Bloomberg is planning a run for the White House as a Democrat in 2020.

“Mike Bloomberg told me he is going to run in 2020,” one source is quoted by the Times of London. “He has the money to see it through while other candidates knock themselves out.”

Worth an estimated $52 billion, Bloomberg is said to have revealed at June fundraiser at New York City hotspot Cipriani 42nd Street that he is “revving up” for a White House run. “Before you leave I want to get your cell-phone number because I’m thinking of getting the band back together,” he told high-dollar donors.

Bloomberg has previously teased plans for a presidential bid. When asked in January if he was considering it, the billionaire told MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle, “I suppose I could. You have to be 35 years old. I am older than that. You have to be a citizen. I’m a citizen. You have to be born in America, I was.”

While most political strategists point to Bloomberg’s low name recognition as a major hurdle, one high-profile Republican operative says he would take a White House bid by the billionaire very seriously.

“If I were a Democrat strategist … and somebody said to me, ‘Who do you want to be the Democrat nominee for president of the United States?’ there’s only one name I would choose … and his name is Michael Bloomberg,” Corey Lewandowski told attendees during a breakfast held by the Christian Science Monitor.

“Mike Bloomberg created tens of thousands of jobs over the course of his lifetime,” he added. “That is a story the American people like and he’s an outsider. I think it would be a very competitive race.”

As Breitbart News’ AWR Hawkins reported, the former New York City Mayor announced in June that he was donating $80 million to Democrats candidates in hopes of flipping the House to a “pro-gun control position.”

Bloomberg shared a statement about he plans to reshape Congress via Twitter.

“Republicans, who control both houses of Congress, have done little to reach across the aisle to craft bipartisan solutions – not only on guns and climate change, but also on jobs, immigration, health care, and infrastructure. As a result, Congress has accomplished very little,” the statement reads. “And so this fall, I’m going to support Democrats in their efforts to win control of the House.”

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