President Donald Trump responded to reports that former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is considering running for president.
“I know Michael Bloomberg … Hes not going to do well,” Trump told reporters on Friday morning.
“But I think hes going to hurt [former Vice President Joe] Biden actually,” Trump, 73, said of the former mayor.
“Little Michael will fail. Hell spend a lot of money” in the election, but he will ultimately not win the presidency, Trump told reporters.
“Hes got some personal problems,” the president also said, without elaborating. He also clarified a previous comment, saying he knows Bloomberg “fairly well” but not exceptionally well.
“Theres nobody Id rather run against than little Michael,” he said of Bloomberg, a fellow billionaire from New York who owns Bloomberg LP.
Trump has slighted Bloomberg with “Little Michael” before. Trump, who is 6 feet, 3 inches tall, stands about seven inches taller than Bloomberg, who is reportedly 5 feet, 8 inches tall.
“Little Michael Bloomberg, who never had the guts to run for president, knows nothing about me. His last term as Mayor was a disaster!” Trump wrote on Twitter in July 2016 after Bloomberg criticized Trumps business credentials at the Democratic National Convention.
Bloomberg, 77, has not formally announced his presidential campaign, but sources told several news outlets on Thursday that he is eyeing a White House bid as he isnt pleased with the current crop of Democrats running for office.
“He thinks Biden is weak and [Bernie] Sanders and Warren cant win,” said a source familiar with Bloombergs decision, reported The New York Post.
“Mike will be making a decision quickly,” said another person about the billionaire media mogul.
Bloomberg has not made a final decision on whether to run, according to advisers, but he is taking steps toward a campaign, including filing to get on the ballot in Alabamas presidential primary. Alabama has an early filing deadline and is among the states that vote on Super Tuesday, a name for the large number of state contests that day, reported The Associated Press.
