The Democratic Party is still working to sift through the mess of their 2020 primary season, with candidates coming and going, rising and falling, on the daily.
The latest surge comes to us from former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who is looking to capture some of the more moderate Democrats who’ve lost their only real candidate in Joe Biden.
The former Vice President has been falling steadily in the polls as of late, and Bloomberg has capitalized.
The only problem is that the Big Apple billionaire has been in the public eye long enough to have a public record to look back on.
In the lead-up to the 2012 presidential election, as Trump was seriously hinting at a run, Bloomberg frequently went out of his way to not only the praise the billionaire real estate mogul, but he also refused to offer criticism. The mayor’s strategy was exhibited during a televised appearance on Good Morning America in February 2011.
Although Bloomberg was supposed to be on the show to promote his work with the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, the discussion quickly turned political. The segue was made when the show’s then-host, George Stephanopoulos, inquired if Bloomberg thought Trump was going to mount a run for president in 2012. At the time, Trump was a favorite of the Tea Party movement because of his strong denunciations of then-President Barack Obama’s policies.
“America’s a wonderful country,” Bloomberg said about Trump’s potential candidacy. “Everybody who’s born here and is over 35 has the opportunity.”
Then came the kicker:
The mayor quickly added that although he knew Trump, he was not privy to any inside information.
“He’s a great guy. He doesn’t do everything he says, but he sure tries,” Bloomberg added. “And I’m a big fan of Donald Trump.”
That certainly won’t go over well with the Democratic base, who’ve been taking a turn toward the radical as of late.
