President Trump encouraged former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to enter the 2020 Democratic primary, predicting that he would hurt former Vice President Joe Biden’s White House bid.
“He’s not going to do well, but I think he’s going to hurt Biden actually,” Trump told reporters Friday as he left the White House. “He doesn’t have the magic to do well. Little Michael will fail. He’ll spend a lot of money … There’s nobody I’d rather run against than little Michael.”
Bloomberg, 77, is preparing to enter the race, but the billionaire businessman has not yet made a final decision on whether to run, according to the New York Times.
He decided earlier this year to sit out of the race because he saw Biden as a strong candidate, but has been rethinking whether Biden can win the party’s nomination. Bloomberg also doubts the chances that either Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts or Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the leading liberals in the race, could beat Trump in the general election.
Bloomberg is expected to rely on his own wealth to fund his campaign if he decides to vie for the nomination.
