Trump and Bloomberg escalate their personal war on the campaign trail

Bloomberg’s net worth of just over $60 billion dwarfs Trump’s, which Forbes estimates at $3.1 billion. It even dwarfs Trump’s most exaggerated claims about his wealth, which typically top out at $10 billion. No other presidential candidate in modern times has had more money than Bloomberg does.

And not only is Bloomberg willing to pour his own fortune into defeating Trump, he’s also in a unique position to turn Trump’s implied argument, that the richest person in the room is the best person, against him.

On Thursday, Bloomberg responded further to Trump during a campaign stop in North Carolina.

“We all know that Donald Trump is a bully,” Bloomberg told attendees. “But he’s from New York and I’m from New York, and I know how to deal with New York bullies.”

Bloomberg added: “Somebody said, ‘You know that he’s tall,’ and he calls me little Mike. And the answer is, ‘Donald, where I come from, we measure your height from your neck up.'”

Even referring to Trump by his first name is a not-so-subtle reminder that Bloomberg has known Trump personally for decades.

It’s a safe bet that Trump’s attacks on Bloomberg will only escalate if Bloomberg continues to rise in the polls. A new Morning Consult survey released Thursday showed Bloomberg winning 17% of Democratic primary voters nationwide, only a point behind onetime front-runner former Vice President Joe Biden. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a self-described democratic socialist, is at the top of the poll.

Bloomberg’s strong showing comes even as the former mayor skips the first four states of the 2020 primary race and focuses instead on winning over voters in the states holding primaries on Super Tuesday, March 3, and beyond.

Recent surveys show Bloomberg polling at No. 1 in Arkansas, which has its primary on Super Tuesday, and surpassing rival Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in Florida, which goes to the polls March 17.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/13/trump-and-bloomberg-escalate-their-personal-war-on-the-campaign-trail.html