Bloomberg: "Top Priority Is to Remove Trump"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Michael Bloomberg, former New York City mayor and one of the Democratic presidential candidates, stated, "I am ready to spend all my wealth to drive President Trump out of the White House." Bloomberg is a three-term former mayor of New York City with immense financial power, ranked 8th in the U.S. and 11th among the world's billionaires.

According to local media such as Axios and Bloomberg News on the 12th (local time), Bloomberg made these remarks at a campaign rally held in San Antonio, Texas, one of the 14 states voting on Super Tuesday, on the 11th. Bloomberg said, "My top priority is to remove Donald Trump," adding, "I will spend all my wealth to achieve this." Super Tuesday, the day when each party selects its presidential candidate in the U.S. election, is scheduled for March 3.

Despite being a late entrant, Bloomberg is known for his aggressive campaign based on his vast financial resources. He already spent $120 million on digital and TV ads in December last year alone. This amount is more than twice the total ad spending of other billionaire Democratic candidates and is considered to be one-third of the total ad spending by former President Obama during the 2012 election, all spent within a month. Bloomberg is expected to spend over $500 million on his campaign this year. He also spent $10 million on a 60-second TV commercial during the Super Bowl, known as the most expensive advertising period. His total assets are estimated at $50 billion (approximately 58 trillion KRW).

Elizabeth Warren, a leading Democratic presidential candidate competing against Bloomberg, criticized, "Former New York City Mayor Bloomberg is trying to buy American democracy with money."

In response, Bloomberg dismissed the criticism, saying, "Those who say such things just dislike that I am spending money," adding, "This debate is unnecessary."

He also said, "The only reasonable reason I think I can beat Trump is that the Democratic candidates are moderate enough for me to accept," and added, "If they are not bold enough to cross the line, the people will eventually vote for Trump."

Meanwhile, Bloomberg's approval rating ranks 5th (5.8%) behind former Vice President Joe Biden, who leads nationwide polls, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

The Democratic presidential primary begins next month with the Iowa caucus on March 3, followed by the New Hampshire primary (February 11), Nevada caucus (February 22), South Carolina primary (February 29), and then the March 'Super Tuesday.' Bloomberg will not participate in the early contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina next month. He is focusing on later primaries such as Texas. Texas is the second most influential state among the 14 states holding contests on Super Tuesday.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.