Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has ruled out entering the race for the White House fearing that an Independent candidacy could hand victory in November’s poll to Donald Trump.
Mr Bloomberg, who had for several months been exploring a possible presidential run, made the announcement in a column published on the business news wire that bears his name. He used his opinion article to criticise the front-runner in the Republican presidential race.
In an article entitled “The risk I will not take,” the billionaire, who served three terms as mayor of America’s most populous city, said that he believed he could win “a number of diverse states” but not enough to win the 270 electoral college voted needed to take the White House.
He chided Mr Trump for running “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 impulse,” said the billionaire.
Disturbed by Trump
Mr Bloomberg said he was disturbed by Mr Trump’s plans to ban Muslims from entering the US and his proposal to start a trade war with China. He was also concerned by the businessman’s “feigning ignorance of David Duke”, the white supremacist Mr Trump at first hesitated to denounce.
“These moves would divide us at home and compromise our moral leadership around the world,” Mr Bloomberg said in his column.
“The end result would be to embolden our enemies, threaten the security of our allies and put our own men and women in uniform at greater risk.”
Mr Bloomberg was also motivated to consider an Independent-run for the White House in response to the rise of Vermont democratic socialist Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary.
The 74-year-old senator has, however, struggled to keep pace with Hillary Clinton who has won 11 of the first 19 state nominating contests and has a commanding lead among party delegates who will pick the nominee.