President Donald Trump accused Mike Bloomberg in a tweet Tuesday of spending so much cash to get the Democratic nomination that he’s breaking the law.
“What Mini Mike is doing is nothing less than a large scale illegal campaign contribution,” the president wrote in a Twitter missive from Air Force One on Tuesday afternoon, using his preferred schoolyard put-down for the 5-foot-8 billionaire former New York mayor.
“He is ‘spreading; money all over the place, only to have recipients of his cash payments, many former opponents, happily joining or supporting his campaign. Isn’t that called a payoff?”
Bloomberg’s ascendant campaign is drawing the ire of both Trump and fellow Democratic nominees after he qualified for Wednesday night’s debate in Las Vegas.
He is drawing on his immense $62 billion fortune to self-fund his presidential bid — infuriating socialist opponent Bernie Sanders.
“Mini is illegally buying the Democrat Nomination. They are taking it away from Bernie again,” Trump wrote, weighing into the Democratic factional infighting.
“Mini Mike, Major Party Nominations are not for sale! Good luck in the debate tomorrow night and remember, no standing on boxes!”
Responding in a tweet of his own, Bloomberg, 78, wrote: “Why do you want to run against Bernie so badly?” setting off a tit-for-tat between the two Big Apple septuagenarians.
In a subsequent tweet, Trump claimed he would rather run against the billionaire New Yorker, but Bloomberg wasn’t buying it, firing back: “Can’t trust a word you say – and now you want us to believe you? See you in November.”
Sources close to Trump say they are thrilled by the prospect of a showdown with Sanders ahead of the November election and are preparing to hammer the Vermont senator on his costly plans including Medicare for All and free college tuition.
Advisors are more nervous about facing off against Bloomberg — citing his enormous wealth and potential ability to attract black voters.
Bloomberg owns Bloomberg LP — the financial software, data and media company he founded in 1981. In recent decades it has been plagued by dozens of sexually harrassment and descrimination lawsuits which accuse Bloomberg of overseeing a toxic work culture.
The bulk of his fortune has been generated by the Bloomberg Terminal, a computer software system which provides real-time data on financial markets.
