According to a New York Times report on Thursday citing "people briefed on Mr. Bloomberg’s plans," the former Big Apple mayor is preparing the legal ground for entry into the 2020 presidential race. The news would represent a reversal of his March statement that he wouldn't run.
It's already a crowded field for the bid to unseat US President Donald Trump, with 17 Democrats and three Republicans still officially in the running. However, like other wealthy businessmen such as Trump and Andrew Yang, the wealthy Bloomberg, who owns the media company of the same name, would be able to persist in the race without the elaborate fundraising networks built up by other candidates over the past months and years.
Bloomberg is preparing to enter the Democratic Primary, but in the past he's run for office on both Republican and Independent tickets, as well as with the Democrats.
Howard Wolfson, one of Bloomberg's closest advisers, told the Times that Trump represents an “unprecedented threat to our nation,” but that he also strongly opposes the progressive policy proposals by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, both of whom are seeking the Democratic nomination.
“We now need to finish the job and ensure that Trump is defeated - but Mike is increasingly concerned that the current field of candidates is not well positioned to do that,” Wolfson told the Times. “If Mike runs he would offer a new choice to Democrats built on a unique record running America’s biggest city, building a business from scratch and taking on some of America’s toughest challenges as a high-impact philanthropist.”
New York's present mayor, Bill de Blasio, who took over when Bloomberg left in 2014, was also a Democratic Primary contender, but he suspended his campaign at the end of September after failing to qualify for the third debate.