U.S. President Donald Trump would be “quietly worried” if former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg ends up running for president in the 2020 elections, said former White House official Anthony Scaramucci.
Bloomberg has not declared his candidacy for the 2020 race, but fellow billionaire Warren Buffet told CNBC he would support the former New York mayor for president. Bloomberg, who served three terms as mayor for New York as a Republican and then an independent, registered as a Democrat last year.
“I think the one that the president would be quietly worried about … would be the mayor, Mike Bloomberg,” Scaramucci told CNBC’s “Capital Connection” on Tuesday.
Scaramucci said Bloomberg has the “mental discipline” to handle possible challenges posed by Trump, who has in the past resorted to name-calling to throw off his political competitors.
“The president recognizes that [Bloomberg] has that New York toughness, he’s very, very rich,” said Scaramucci, who worked briefly as a former White House communications director under Trump. “Whoever runs against President Trump will have an internationally-recognized nickname for the rest of their lives, so I think someone like Mike Bloomberg is prepared for that and has the mental discipline to handle it.”
However, Scaramucci said he doesn’t think Bloomberg would clinch the Democratic nomination for the presidential elections. He added that the Democratic Party has moved further left on the political spectrum and that’s not favorable for Bloomberg who’s seen as a centrist.
At least 10 Democrats have declared their intentions to run for president. Among the candidates that have thrown their hats into the ring, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., would likely pose the greatest challenge to Trump, Scaramucci said.
“She’s got an exciting personality, she can draw crowds and she’s a very able, very tough, fierce competitor,” he added.
Still, Scaramucci said Trump’s chances of getting re-elected are high, especially if the U.S. economy continues to grow.
