FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

News

Michael Bloomberg Says He Won't Run for President Because It Would Help Trump

The former New York City mayor says he can't "in good conscience" run, for fear that a third-party candidacy would lead to President Trump or Cruz.
Photo by Michael Reynolds/EPA

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Monday that he will not mount a third-party bid for the presidency in 2016.

Bloomberg made the announcement on his eponymous news site, writing for Bloomberg View that he doesn't believe he could win and that his candidacy could lead to either a Donald Trump or Ted Cruz presidency. "That is not a risk I can take in good conscience," Bloomberg wrote.

Advertisement

The Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent said that while he has had a long, friendly and casual relationship with Trump, the Republican frontrunner "has run the most divisive and demagogic presidential campaign I can remember, preying on people's prejudices and fears."

"Abraham Lincoln, the father of the Republican Party, appealed to our 'better angels.' Trump appeals to our worst impulses," Bloomberg added.

Related: Even Hardcore Anti-Establishment Republicans Are Horrified by Donald Trump

The former mayor said that he would stay involved in the race, but would do so from the sidelines. He added that he is not yet ready to endorse in the race.

Political observers looking for even more oddities to this 2016 presidential contest had been speculating for months that Bloomberg might jump into the race as an independent candidate. The New York Times reported in December that Bloomberg had commissioned a poll to see how he would perform in a three-way-race for the presidency this year and said in January that he was setting up a campaign apparatus to be ready if he pulled the trigger on the race.

The New York Times reported Monday that the polling, particularly in general election race including Trump and Hillary Clinton, was just not favorable enough to Bloomberg for him to consider a long and contentious presidential race. The Times also published video of a television ad the Bloomberg campaign considered running, if it had only gotten off the ground.

Related: Michael Bloomberg Says He Might Run for President. Again.

Follow Sarah Mimms on Twitter: @SarahMMimms