“CBS THIS MORNING” EXCLUSIVE: MIKE BLOOMBERG ON CURRENT FIELD OF DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES: “TRUMP WOULD EAT ‘EM UP”
Mike Bloomberg Denies “Buying” the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary
Mike Bloomberg says he’s not just another billionaire running for president. In an exclusive interview with CBS THIS MORNING co-host Gayle King, Bloomberg spoke about President Trump, the other Democratic candidates including former Vice President Joe Biden, his own complicated history on the issue of race and policing, and why he chose to enter the campaign so late.
King spoke to Bloomberg Thursday in Aurora, Colo., where he was talking about one of his signature issues, gun violence.
Watch Part 1 Here: https://cbsn.ws/2qnJ1yO
Watch Part 2 Here: https://cbsn.ws/2OTgMSb
Photo Credit: CBS News
Listen to the Extended Interview with Bloomberg on the CBS THIS MORNING Podcast Here: https://bit.ly/2OXCDaU
Excerpts:
- On if he considers Joe Biden a friend: “Yeah, sure, why would he not be? ...Well, I’m not trying to take his job either. He doesn’t have the job of president of the United States, and neither do I. At the moment, the person that has it is Donald Trump. I’m trying to take the job away from Donald Trump.” https://bit.ly/2sMo7KA
- “I have the same rights as anybody else. Does it take an ego? Yeah, I guess it takes an ego to think that you could do the job. I have 12 years of experience in City Hall. And I think if you go back today and ask most people about those 12 years, they would say that – not me – but the team that I put together made an enormous difference in New York City. And New York City benefited from it and continues to benefit from it today from what we did then.” https://bit.ly/34Y9qlT
- On his stop-and-frisk policy:
GAYLE KING: Stop and frisk. You recently apologized for that. Some people are suspicious of the timing of your apology.
MIKE BLOOMBERG: The mark of an intelligent, competent person is when they make a mistake, they have the guts to stand up and say, “I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”
KING: We don’t question your belief that you made a mistake. I think the question is the timing that you realized you made the mistake.
BLOOMBERG: Well, nobody asked me about it until I started running for president. So come on.
KING: Are you saying to people that you realized you had made this mistake before, but you just didn’t mention it until now?
BLOOMBERG: I think we were overzealous at the time to do it. Our intent was to do anything we could to stop the carnage, the murder rate. What was surprising was when we stopped doing it a little bit, we thought crime would go up. It didn’t. It went down. So, you know, should have, would have and could have. I can’t help that. But looking back, we made a mistake. I’m sorry. I apologize. Let’s go fight the NRA and find other ways to stop the murders and incarceration. Those are things that I’m committed to do. And the more I do that, the better off everybody is. https://bit.ly/2Ynws30
- On the diversity of presidential candidates:
KING: The next debate is in December, and Cory Booker said that it could possibly be no one of color on that debate stage. There would be more billionaires in the race than black people. Is that a problem to you?
BLOOMBERG: Well, Cory Booker endorsed me a number of times. And I endorsed Cory Booker a number of times. He’s very well-spoken. He’s got some good ideas. It would be better the more diverse any group is. But the public is out there picking and choosing and narrowing down this field. The truth of the matter is you had a lot of diversity in the candidates, some of whom were very competent. Why they aren’t there as you narrowed it down, you have to talk to other people who are experts. I don’t know.
KING: Part of the conversation is, “Here we go, another old, white gentleman.” Isn’t it time for change? Isn’t it time for –
BLOOMBERG: But – but there –
KING: – something new?
BLOOMBERG: – the – yes, it may be. But lots of people can enter. There was no reason – if you wanted to enter and run for president of the United States, you could have done that. But don’t complain to me that you’re not in the race. It was up to you. And I thought there was a lot of diversity in the group of Democratic aspirants. Entry is not a barrier. https://bit.ly/33WVG9L
- On if he can work with the NRA: “No. But I don’t think – I think you can avoid the NRA. Or you can beat them.” https://bit.ly/2qqqNwD
- On claims he is trying to “buy” the election: “I’m doing exactly the same thing they’re doing, except that I am using my own money. They’re using somebody else’s money, and those other people expect something from them. Nobody gives you money if they don’t expect something. And I don’t want to be bought.” https://bit.ly/34WpIfb
Rush Transcript
Part 1:
GAYLE KING: I want to talk about you getting in the race, because when you were on CBS THIS MORNING in September…
(clip from CBS THIS MORNING Sept. 10)
KING: Are you sitting here going, I wish I had done it?
MIKE BLOOMBERG: No, I never think back. There was not a road for me when Joe was in the race to get through because we would have split the votes.
KING: What happened between September and now?
BLOOMBERG: I looked at our national government getting worse, the way we’re behaving overseas and domestically, led by our president. I said back in 2016, “He is the wrong person for the job. He doesn’t have the temperament or the ethics or the intellect to do the job.” And I said, “We just can’t have another four years of this.” And then I watched all the candidates. And I just thought to myself, “Donald Trump would eat them up.”
KING: You think all the candidates who are running today, he would eat them up?
BLOOMBERG: Let me rephrase it. I think that I would do the best job of competing with him and beating him.
KING: One of the other things you said in September was that Joe Biden is a friend. Did you talk to Joe Biden ahead of time and say “I’m getting in”?
BLOOMBERG: No, I did not. His staff certainly knew.
KING: Do you still consider him a friend?
BLOOMBERG: Yeah, sure, why would he not be?
KING: I don’t know. I’m thinking with friends like you, who needs enemies?
BLOOMBERG: You are friendly with other great TV presenters in the morning.
KING: Yes, yeah.
BLOOMBERG: And you’re all competing for the same –
KING: But I’m not trying to –
BLOOMBERG: – all competing for the same job.
KING: – take their job.
BLOOMBERG: Well, I’m not trying to take his job either. He doesn’t have the job of president of the United States, and neither do I. At the moment, the person that has it is Donald Trump. I’m trying to take away the job from Donald Trump.
KING: Nobody’s saying, “Mayor Bloomberg, meh.” They either say, “Oh, thank God he’s getting in. Thank God. Now I know who I’m going to vote for.” Or I hear, “What the hell is he thinking?” Is this a big ego stroke? How do you respond to both of those?
BLOOMBERG: The second one, I have the same rights as anybody else. Does it take an ego? Yeah, I guess it takes an ego to think that you could do the job. I have 12 years of experience in City Hall. And I think if you go back today and ask most people about those 12 years, they would say that – not me – but the team that I put together made an enormous difference in New York City. And New York City benefited from it and continues to benefit from it today from what we did then.
KING: Stop and frisk. You recently apologized for that. Some people are suspicious of the timing of your apology.
BLOOMBERG: The mark of an intelligent, competent person is when they make a mistake, they have the guts to stand up and say, “I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”
KING: We don’t question your belief that you made a mistake. I think the question is the timing that you realized you made the mistake.
BLOOMBERG: Well, nobody asked me about it until I started running for president. So come on.
KING: Are you saying to people that you realized you had made this mistake before, but you just didn’t mention it until now?
BLOOMBERG: I think we were overzealous at the time to do it. Our intent was to do anything we could to stop the carnage, the murder rate. What was surprising was when we stopped doing it a little bit, we thought crime would go up. It didn’t. It went down. So, you know, should have, would have and could have. I can’t help that. But looking back, we made a mistake. I’m sorry. I apologize. Let’s go fight the NRA and find other ways to stop the murders and incarceration. Those are things that I’m committed to do. And, the more I do that, the better off everybody is.
KING: The next debate is December, and Cory Booker said that it could possibly be no one of color on that debate stage. There would be more billionaires in the race than black people. Is that a problem to you?
BLOOMBERG: Well, Cory Booker endorsed me a number of times. And I endorsed Cory Booker a number of times. He’s very well-spoken. He’s got some good ideas. It would be better the more diverse any group is. But the public is out there picking and choosing and narrowing down this field. The truth of the matter is you had a lot of diversity in the candidates, some of whom were very competent. Why they aren’t there as you narrowed it down, you have to talk to other people who are experts. I don’t know.
KING: Part of the conversation is, “here we go, another old, white gentleman.” Isn’t it time for change? Isn’t it time for –
BLOOMBERG: But – but there –
KING: – something new?
BLOOMBERG: – the – yes, it may be. But lots of people can enter. If you wanted to enter and run for president of the United States, you could have done that. But don’t complain to me that you’re not in the race. It was up to you. And I thought there was a lot of diversity in the group of Democratic aspirants. Entry is not a barrier.
KING: So you’re saying, if you want diversity, then get in?
BLOOMBERG: That is exactly a good way to phrase it. Thank you very much.
Part 2:
KING: Okay, we’re in Colorado, Mayor, because you chose this place to launch your big gun initiative. And I’m wondering, as I sat there looking at the families, hearing the families, because they have heard this before – “We’re going to do it. We’re going get it done. Will be some changes.” Why do you think you’re different this time?
BLOOMBERG: I understand the problem. You have to go and look at the victims before you can really understand what they’re going through, the emotional problems they have, the financial problems. Somebody in your family gets killed – how do you take care of everybody? Who’s going to take care of the kids? Who pays for the funeral? Part of the answer is you have to go out and look at the problem rather than just talk about in an academic sense. You’ve got to be able to go to the legislature and convince them, at least argue with them, at least ask – ask them to participate. And say, “Look, here’s why you should do it.” It’s leadership. And we don’t seem to have that when it comes to guns. You had the NRA, which was the leader. The NRA has basically been beaten. We’ve gone and they’ve lost most of their funding sources. Their top management is in chaos.
KING: You think you can work with the NRA?
BLOOMBERG: No. But I don’t think – I think you can avoid the NRA. You c-- or you can beat them.
KING: So you intend to work around the NRA is what you’re saying?
BLOOMBERG: Well, I think you just don’t pay – you just don’t make much of the NRA. You don’t have to go talk to them at all.
KING: Well, it would be no surprise to you that your fellow candidates are not so glad to see you get in. Elizabeth Warren suggested you’re trying to buy the election. Bernie Sanders says as a billionaire you can run even the dumbest person on the Earth and pay for it. You see what they’re all getting at here – the point they’re all making?
BLOOMBERG: Yeah, the point they’re making is –
KING: You’ve got a lot of money.
BLOOMBERG: No, the point they’re making is it’s okay if they ask other people for all their money and it will help their careers. Whereas, if somebody goes out and makes the money themselves and gives it away – I give an – virtually all my income goes to public health issues and education and the arts and the environment, things that I care about. And I think I could do a lot of good for the country if I could become president. And so using some of those moneys to fund the campaign is fine. What is true is –
KING: But I don’t think you should miss the point, Mayor.
BLOOMBERG: – look, my – wait a second. My father made $6,000 the best year of his life. I don’t come from money. Nobody gave me a head start. My parents gave me an education in the public school system in Medford, Mass. And they taught me ethics. They taught me hard work. I worked my way through college. And then I worked for 15 years. I got fired. I started a company. The company turned out to be phenomenally successful.
KING: No, you’ve been very successful.
BLOOMBERG: And I give 100% of the money away. What’s wrong with all of that? And then I turn and they’re criticizing me for it. I don’t know, ask them what they’re doing. Why didn’t they do that? They had a chance to go out and make a lot of money. And how much of their own money do they put into their campaigns?
KING: But I think the point that they’re making, and a lot of people are making, is you’re a billionaire who’s buying this election. What is your response to that?
BLOOMBERG: I’m not buying any more – I’m doing exactly the same thing they’re doing, except that I am using my own money. They’re using somebody else’s money, and those other people expect something from them. Nobody gives you money if they don’t expect something. And I don’t want to be bought.
KING: I want to – get to a couple personal issues. Because you would be the first modern-day single president. But we all know in New York you are not an eligible bachelor. Your significant other, Diana Taylor, is a very accomplished, highly respected, highly admired woman. Would she be our de facto first lady? Is she playing a role in your campaign?
BLOOMBERG: She’s playing a role in the campaign, number one. Number two, we’ve only been living together for 19 years. And I think it’s fair, if I can speak for her as well, neither of us have any plans to change.
KING: Living together?
BLOOMBERG: We would –
KING: Do you all think about getting married?
BLOOMBERG: Not a subject I’m going to discuss with you, Gayle.
KING: Well, I am curious. I didn’t know it had been that long. Okay. So you didn’t answer me.
BLOOMBERG: But it only seems like half that length of time.
KING: But you didn’t answer the question. Would she be our de facto first lady?
BLOOMBERG: Oh yeah, of course.
KING: Who is the real Mike Bloomberg? I was thinking, you were a Democrat. Then you were a Republican. Then you were an Independent. And now you’re a Democrat. Who are you?
BLOOMBERG: I am a social liberal, fiscal moderate, who is basically nonpartisan. I grew up as a Democrat. In Massachusetts, there are no Republicans. I moved to New York, where I was a Democrat. There are no Republicans. I couldn’t become mayor on the Democratic line. The Republicans said, “Well, you can run as a Republican.” In New York City, the mayor’s job is not a partisan job. So I did. But you could have voted me on a different line. We have a complicated system.
KING: But don’t you think most of America is in the middle, that most people are centrist?
BLOOMBERG: I do believe that most of the public is in the middle. I think it is – most people would say whether they like my views or not, they would say, “He’s at least honest and genuine.” Some probably say smart, but not everybody would agree with that. But I think they’d all say hardworking and honest.
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