Michael Bloomberg spent the Iowa caucus fiasco in California cooly mocking Trump

(Image credit: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

published 4 February 2020

While most of the 2020 Democratic candidates were in Iowa on Monday night for the first-in-the-nation caucuses, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was campaigning in California. The decision to skip Iowa, with its 41 pledged delegates, looked prescient Tuesday after the Iowa Democratic Party deprived all candidates of bragging rights by mucking up the caucuses tally so no results were available as of Tuesday morning. Bloomberg told CBS News his campaign swing through California, which holds its primary March 3, "just worked out in the schedule."

"There's nothing magical about California and the first day of the Iowa caucus," Bloomberg said. "California is a very big state with a lot of delegates, so you'd obviously come here more." Bloomberg reiterated his pledge to support whichever Democrat wins, but when CBS News asked if he was motivated by a personal grudge against Trump, Bloomberg said no, he's said publicly that Trump is "not the right guy for the job" since back in 2016. "The way he treats people, the way he runs an organization, and the way he makes decisions is not good for this country," he said.

Bloomberg told CBS News he hadn't heard Trump's latest insult on Twitter, but was ready with his own zinger when the reporter asked if he thinks "people are interested in seeing two billionaires fight out over Twitter?" "Two billionaires?" asked Bloomberg, whose $54 billion fortune is documented. "Who's the second one?"

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.