Michael Bloomberg joins the race for the White House
Billionaire former New York mayor faces uphill struggle to connect with voters

The billionaire former mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, has officially announced that he is standing to be the Democratic Party presidential nominee.
“I’m running for president to defeat Donald Trump and rebuild America,” Bloomberg announced on his campaign website.
“We cannot afford four more years of President Trump’s reckless and unethical actions.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It is believed that he will take a moderate, centrist position. Launching his bid, he described himself as “a doer and a problem solver - not a talker”.
CNN says Bloomberg’s late bid “injects a new level of uncertainty into the race less than three months before the first voting in the race begins”. Meanwhile, USA Today notes that Bloomberg was a Republican in 2001 ahead of his first mayoral bid.
America’s eighth wealthiest man, Bloomberg has a net worth of $53.4bn. He made his fortune creating the technology that bankers and traders use to access market data, before turning to politics and serving three terms as mayor of New York City.
He is expected to spend up to $34m per a week on adverts in more than two dozen states. The Times says this will be the highest one-week expenditure in US political history, surpassing the $30m that Barack Obama spent while seeking re-election in 2012.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bloomberg’s bid has already been dismissed by rivals, with Elizabeth Warren saying that “elections should not be for sale”. He also faces an uphill task to connect with Democrat voters, with a Quinnipiac poll in New Hampshire showing that only two per cent of primary voters back him to become the party’s presidental candidate.
Bloomberg has missed the first five TV debates and will likely not make it on stage for the sixth next month due to polling and donation requirements.
No Democrat has won the nomination after such a late start in modern times, though Ronald Reagan, a Republican, became president in 1981 after joining the race in mid-November.
Bloomberg’s first television campaign ads tell viewers: “He could have just been the middle class kid...but Mike Bloomberg became the guy who did good.”
The ad then turns attention to Trump, saying the mayor is “taking on him”, as an image of Trump freezes on screen.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
-
August 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include FEMA's new scheme, Gavin Newsom's antics, and a clue in the Epstein files
-
Disarming Hezbollah: Lebanon's risky mission
Talking Point Iran-backed militia has brought 'nothing but war, division and misery', but rooting them out for good is a daunting and dangerous task
-
Woof! Britain's love affair with dogs
The Explainer The UK's canine population is booming. What does that mean for man's best friend?
-
Lisa Cook and Trump's battle for control the US Fed
Talking Point The president's attempts to fire one of the Federal Reserve's seven governor is represents 'a stunning escalation' of his attacks on the US central bank
-
Why is Trump suddenly interested in his enemies' mortgages?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the president continues targeting adversaries, he's turned to a surprising ally to provide ammunition for an emerging line of attack
-
'A symbol of the faceless corporate desire'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Truck drivers are questioning the Trump administration's English mandate
Talking Points Some have praised the rules, others are concerned they could lead to profiling
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
Trump soaks up adoration in his made-for-TV Cabinet meetings
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The president's televised sessions have become a platform for his top lieutenants to demonstrate executive flattery
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Can anyone save Jimmy Lai?
Today's Big Question 'Britain's shameful inaction' will mean it's partly 'responsible' if Hong Kong businessman dies in prison