Bernie Sanders: Bring on billionaire Michael Bloomberg

His Independent political party affiliation is a new brand for him as he was a lifelong Democrat before deciding to run for mayorship of New York City. Hillary Clinton’s tight race with Sanders has Bloomberg wondering if there is an opening for him, the Times said.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is reportedly instructing aides to draw up plans for an independent, 2016 run at the White House.

“If Hillary wins the nomination, Hillary is mainstream enough that Mike would have no chance, and Mike’s not going to go on a suicide mission”, former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Clinton ally and friend to Bloomberg, told the Times.

Even a victory by Clinton in the Democratic primaries might not preclude a bid by Bloomberg, his associates said, if he believed she had been gravely weakened by the contest. If Trump wins his party’s nomination and Bloomberg enters the race, it would be Bernie versus the Billionaires. To put that in context, Donald Trump claims to be worth nearly $10 billion.

In 2007, Bloomberg also considered running an independent campaign, before ultimately abandoning that plan. Fox, which will be hosting the presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa, just days before the state’s voters kick off the 2016 presidential elimination heats with their February 1 caucuses, both shrugged off and welcomed Trump’s latest blast at the network’s anchor.

“Trump is feeding into the fear and hate of people”, Ferrin said. The media baron’s key concern appears to be Trump’s stronghold on the GOP and the steady erosion in Clinton’s popularity due to a rise in Sanders’ poll ratings.

While the American people tell pollsters they want someone else to vote for, there is no great clamor for an independent to enter the race. Bloomberg played up his business expertise and campaigned as the candidate best able to help steady New York’s economy in the aftermath of the attacks.

The founder of the financial news and information provider Bloomberg LP, he was a political novice when he launched an unlikely bid for mayor in 2001. In recent years Bloomberg has spent millions on national campaigns to tighten USA gun laws and reform immigration.

The Mayor has used his fortune to make sizeable contributions to candidates who support his causes: in particular, gun control and fighting climate change. On social issues, his campaign would lean more moderate, especially on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage.