[Newly announced Democratic presidential candidate, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks during a press conference to discuss his presidential run on November 25, 2019 in Norfolk, Virginia.] * MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, A 77-YEAR-OLD BILLIONAIRE PHILANTHROPIST, IS RUNNING TO BE THE NEXT DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE. * HE SPENT 15 YEARS WORKING IN FINANCE, BEFORE GETTING FIRED WHEN HE WAS 39. WITH THE SEVERANCE CHECK, HE CO-STARTED HIS OWN IT FIRM, WHICH HE CALLED BLOOMBERG LP. * IT WAS A SUCCESS, AND HE EXPANDED IT TO COVER THE MEDIA. FIFTEEN YEARS LATER HE WAS A BILLIONAIRE. BUT THAT WASN'T ENOUGH, SO HE ENTERED POLITICS. * IN 2002, HE WAS ELECTED MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY, AND KEPT THE POST FOR 12 YEARS. * VISIT BUSINESS INSIDER'S HOMEPAGE FOR MORE STORIES. Michael Bloomberg is not your typical billionaire. He appeared at his first Democratic debate after months of intense campaigning on Wednesday night. It did not go well. In the months leading up to it, he had spent more than $330 million on advertising why he should be the next president. It's a lot of money, but only a fraction of his $64 billion fortune. Bloomberg wasn't born into money. He was raised modestly in suburban Boston, before he rose through the ranks of New York's financial world, only to get fired at the age of 39. That same year, using his IT expertise and a healthy chunk of his severance pay, he started Bloomberg LP, which provided data to financial traders. The service was a success, and 15 years later, along with starting his own media company, he became a billionaire. But that wasn't enough for Bloomberg. He entered politics and served as New York City mayor for over a decade, earning only $1 a year. During his tenure he identified as a Republican and an independent. As Chris Smith wrote for New York Magazine, "Instead of using his money to withdraw from the messiness of the everyday world, Bloomberg has thrust himself ever more into it." And while Bloomberg is a liberal, his "real religion has always been pragmatism." He has pledged half of his fortune to charity after his death. Bloomberg Philanthropies says he's already donated more than $6 billion to various causes over the years. Here's a look back at Bloomberg's life to date, in photos. SEE ALSO: MICHAEL BLOOMBERG BUILT A $54 BILLION COMPANY. FOR 2 DECADES, WOMEN WHO WORKED THERE HAVE CALLED IT A TOXIC, SEXUALLY CHARGED NIGHTMARE. DON'T MISS: INSIDE MIKE BLOOMBERG'S BIZARRE STRATEGY TO DOMINATE SOCIAL MEDIA THAT'S DWARFED TRUMP'S 2016 EFFORTS BY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS MICHAEL BLOOMBERG WAS BORN ON FEBRUARY 14, 1942. HE GREW UP IN A FAMILY OF FOUR IN MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, A BLUE-COLLAR SUBURB OF BOSTON. His Polish immigrant father worked seven days a week as an accountant, while his mother worked as a secretary. IN 1964, HE GRADUATED FROM JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY WITH A DEGREE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. DURING HIS STUDIES, HE WORKED PART-TIME AT A PARKING LOT, AND WAS PRESIDENT OF HIS FRATERNITY. IN 1966, HE RECEIVED AN MBA FROM HARVARD UNIVERSITY. _Sources: Politifact, MichaelBloomberg2020, Politico _ IN 1966, HE MOVED TO NEW YORK AND STARTED WORK AT SALOMON BROTHERS, AN INVESTMENT BANK. HIS FIRST ROLE WAS DOWN IN A VAULT KNOWN AS "THE CAGE" COUNTING STOCKS. He didn't stay down for long. By the time he was 30 in 1972, he had made partner working in sales and trading. IN 1976, WHILE WORKING HIS WAY UP, BLOOMBERG MARRIED SUSAN BROWN. _Sources: The New York Times, The New York Times_ THEY HAD TWO DAUGHTERS — GEORGINA BLOOMBERG, NOW A PROFESSIONAL EQUESTRIAN RIDER, AND EMMA BLOOMBERG, WHO WORKS IN NON-PROFITS. THE COUPLE LATER DIVORCED IN 1993. According to a 2001 interview in The New York Times with Emma, her parents remained best friends. IN 1979, BLOOMBERG WAS MOVED TO THE IT DEPARTMENT. IT WAS NOT A PROMOTION. IT WASN'T A GLAMOROUS SECTOR, SINCE IT WAS REMOVED FROM THE GLORY OF TRADES AND DEALS. BUT IT WAS THERE HE LEARNED ABOUT COMPUTERS. _Sources: The Gentleman's Journal, The New York Times _ IN 1981, WHEN SALOMON MERGED WITH ANOTHER COMPANY CALLED PHIBRO, BLOOMBERG WAS FIRED. HE WAS 39 YEARS OLD. HE HAD SPENT 15 YEARS WORKING 12-HOUR-DAYS, SIX-DAYS A WEEK. BUT HE HAD TO WALK AWAY. He was helped along by a $10 million payout. "Afterward, I didn't sit around wondering what was happening at the old firm. I didn't go back and visit. I never look over my shoulder. Once finished: Gone. Life continues!" he wrote in his memoir titled "Bloomberg", which was published in 1997. According to the biography on him "Mike Bloomberg: Money, Power, Politics" by Joyce Purnick, at one point he told his bosses, "I could run the goddamn company better." BLOOMBERG WASN'T EMBARRASSED ABOUT BEING FIRED, BUT HE WORRIED HIS WIFE WOULD BE ASHAMED ABOUT THE LOSS OF STATUS, OR HIS ABILITY TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY. SO THE WEEK HE WAS FIRED HE ORDERED HER A SABLE FUR COAT FROM THIRD AVENUE. "A sable jacket seemed to say, "No sweat. We can still eat. We're still players," he wrote in "Bloomberg." THAT SAME YEAR, USING $4 MILLION FROM THE SALOMON PAYOUT, HE CO-CREATED BLOOMBERG LP, A FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPANY. HE KNEW THAT TRADERS NEEDED RELIABLE DATA, AND DECIDED HIS COMPANY WOULD BE THE ONE TO PROVIDE IT. He saw that computers would revolutionize Wall Street, and was one of the first to capitalize on it. According to his website, the provision of this information was a way to "democratize financial information, empowering investors and smaller firms and result in dramatically improved returns for pensioners and retirees." The company's first customer was Merrill Lynch. Bloomberg still owns 88% of the company. In 2018, it bought in $10 billion in revenue, employing nearly 20,000 people in 120 countries. IN 1986, HE BOUGHT A FIVE-STORY TOWNHOUSE IN THE UPPER EAST SIDE OF MANHATTAN FOR $3.5 MILLION. IT BECAME HIS HOME BASE AND A VENUE FOR DINNER PARTIES. According to New York Magazine, these dinner parties "were often pretentious in their unpretentiousness." Bloomberg served things like fried chicken and coleslaw. At one point in 2013, Bloomberg owned 14 properties worldwide, with homes everywhere from New York to London to Bermuda. DUE TO THE SUCCESS OF THE COMPANY, HE BRANCHED OUT INTO THE NEWS MEDIA. IN 1990, HE LAUNCHED BLOOMBERG NEWS, WITH 50 REPORTERS SPREAD OUT IN KEY CITIES LIKE TOKYO, LONDON, AND TORONTO. IN 1994, HE LAUNCHED BLOOMBERG TV. _Sources: Politico, The Gentleman's Journal_ IN 1995, BLOOMBERG JOINED THE RANKS OF BILLIONAIRES. MONEY WAS FLOWING. AS WELL AS HIS PROPERTY PURCHASES, BLOOMBERG WAS DONATING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. BUT IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO SATISFY HIM. That same year he donated $55 million to John Hopkins, a sizeable chunk of the $1 billion he has donated to the university, according to Politico. The John Hopkins School of Public Health was renamed after Bloomberg, because of the donations. According to New York Magazine, Bloomberg told the school's dean Alfred Somner that he needed another challenge, and it wasn't building another company. "I don't need any more money. Where can I make a difference?" he said. NEWS ANCHOR BARBARA WALTERS, ONE OF BLOOMBERG'S CLOSE FRIENDS, TOLD NEW YORK MAGAZINE, "THIS WAS NOT A MAN WHO USED HIS MONEY BECAUSE HE WAS GOING TO TAKE US ALL OUT ON A YACHT." _Source: New York Magazine_ ACCORDING TO BOSTON COLLEGE PROFESSOR PAUL SCHERVISH, BLOOMBERG HAD "CONQUERED THE BUSINESS WORLD, BUT HE STILL HAD IN HIS SOUL THIS COMMAND TO USE HIS TALENTS AND HIS WILL IN ANOTHER ARENA." _Source: New York Magazine_ IN 2000, BLOOMBERG, UNTIL THEN A DEMOCRAT, REGISTERED AS A REPUBLICAN. A MONTH LATER, HE HOSTED AN ELECTION NIGHT PARTY WITH MAGAZINE EDITOR TINA BROWN AND (NOW DISGRACED) MOVIE PRODUCER HARVEY WEINSTEIN. They invited hundreds of friends to a restaurant on Manhattan's Upper East Side. When The New York Times asked at the party if he wanted to spend his 60s standing over wounded New York police officers as mayor, he responded, "I'd like to prevent cops from getting shot." According to The Times, he became a Republican because if he'd remained a Democrat he would have lost in a mayoral primary. HE ALSO MET DIANA TAYLOR IN 2000. TAYLOR WAS THE UNOFFICIAL FIRST LADY DURING HIS TIME AS MAYOR AND LATER SERVED AS THE NEW YORK STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF BANKS. BOTH PARTIES HAVE SAID MARRIAGE WON'T BE IN THE CARDS. _Source: The New York Times _ IN 2000, HE BOUGHT HIS DAUGHTER, GEORGINA, A $3.6 MILLION EQUESTRIAN ESTATE IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY'S NORTH SALEM. IT WAS ONCE USED AS AN EXERCISE GROUND FOR CIRCUS ELEPHANTS. Adjacent to his daughter's house is a $4.55 million home he purchased in 2012. He bought the house so his daughter Georgina, a competitive horse jumper, could keep her horses there. But when he tried to extend a special-use permit from six horses to 20, several neighbors complained, arguing renovations could harm the environment, property values, and "bring a pervasive smell" to the neighborhood, according to The New York Times. BLOOMBERG CAMPAIGNED FOR MAYOR. BUT IN AN UNUSUAL MOVE, AT A PRESS CONFERENCE WHERE FORMER REPUBLICAN GOV. GEORGE PATAKI ENDORSED HIM, BLOOMBERG REPEATEDLY SAID, "I'M A LIBERAL. I'M A LIBERAL. I'M A LIBERAL. I'M A LIBERAL." _Source: The New York Times _ IT DIDN'T MATTER. IN 2002, HE WAS ELECTED MAYOR OF NEW YORK, NARROWLY BEATING DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE MARK GREEN. HE STEPPED DOWN FROM RUNNING HIS COMPANY, AND OVER THE NEXT 12 YEARS EARNED $1 A YEAR. _Sources: Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The New York Times_ HE HELD MORE THAN 80 PUBLIC FORUMS DURING HIS FIRST THREE-YEAR TENURE AS MAYOR, AND SEEMED TO BE, ACCORDING TO NEW YORK MAGAZINE, "A ONE MAN COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT." _Source: New York Magazine_ HIS TENURE HAD A NUMBER OF POSITIVES — HE LED THE CITY THROUGH ITS RECOVERY AFTER 9/11. HE HELPED THE CITY'S FINANCES BY RAISING PROPERTY TAXES AND CUTTING DOWN CITY SERVICES. HIS ADMINISTRATION INTRODUCED CITI BIKES AND BANNED SMOKING IN RESTAURANTS. _Sources: The New York Times, City & State NY_ ONE OF HIS BIG FOCUSES WAS GUN CONTROL. IN 2002, HE ANNOUNCED A GUN BUY-BACK PROGRAM. ANYONE WHO PROVIDED INFORMATION ABOUT AN ILLEGAL HANDGUN WOULD BE REWARDED $1,000. In 2006, he also co-founded Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which later became Everytown for Guns Safety. THE ENVIRONMENT WAS ANOTHER ONE OF HIS PRIORITIES. TO PROTECT THE CITY'S DRINKING WATER, HE HAD THE CITY BUY A LARGE PIECE OF LAND IN THE CATSKILL MOUNTAINS TO ENSURE DEVELOPMENT DIDN'T CONTAMINATE WATER. His administration also spent billions cleaning waterways and wetlands, creating parks, and planting trees. HIS TENURE HAD ITS NEGATIVES. ONE OF THE THINGS HE'S MOST OFTEN CRITICIZED FOR WAS DEFENDING POLICE COMMISSIONER RAY KELLY'S PUSH TO GET POLICE TO "STOP AND FRISK" PEOPLE. The policy has been called racist, because the police did stop and frisks primarily in high-crime areas, disproportionately impacting African American and Hispanic people. In 2002, there were about 97,000 stops; by 2011 there were 685,000. A district court declared the methods unconstitutional in 2013. HIS POLITICS WEREN'T ENTIRELY TRADITIONAL. ACCORDING TO NEW YORK MAGAZINE, ONE "ENDEARING HABIT" OF BLOOMBERG'S WAS TO EXPLAIN SOME "SPIN" AND THEN A MOMENT LATER UNDERCUT THAT SPIN BY EXPLAINING HOW IT MIGHT NOT BE AS ACCURATE AS IT SEEMED. _Source: New York Magazine _ BUT SOMETHING WAS WORKING, BECAUSE IN 2005, BLOOMBERG BEAT FORMER BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT FERNANDO FERRER BY NEARLY 20 PERCENTAGE POINTS. BLOOMBERG WON IN ALL OF THE BOROUGHS EXCEPT THE BRONX. _Sources: The Guardian, Gothamist _ IN 2005, HE ALSO HAD ONE OF HIS BIGGEST LOSSES AS MAYOR — THE STATE LEGISLATURE WOULDN'T APPROVE THE WEST SIDE STADIUM, A PROPOSED MASSIVE STADIUM IN MANHATTAN. _Source: The New York Times _ IN 2007, BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCED HE WAS LEAVING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY TO BECOME AN INDEPENDENT. THE MOVE TRIGGERED SPECULATION THAT HE WOULD RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2008. In a statement released about his change, he said, "Any successful elected executive knows that real results are more important than partisan battles and that good ideas should take precedence over rigid adherence to any particular political ideology." INSTEAD, HE RAN AGAIN FOR MAYOR. BEFORE BLOOMBERG, THERE HAD BEEN A TWO-TERM LIMIT FOR NEW YORK MAYORS, BUT HE CAMPAIGNED TO CHANGE THE LAW, WON, AND WENT ON TO SERVE A THIRD TERM. The New York Times said he "strong-armed" the city council into letting him have a third term. And while he was re-elected in 2009, he only beat the city comptroller Bill Thompson narrowly, winning with 50.7% of the vote. DURING HIS TENURE AS MAYOR, HIS WEALTH PLAYED A DEFINING ROLE. IT ALLOWED SOME THINGS TO HAPPEN THAT OTHERWISE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE. For instance, police commissioner Ray Kelly said after a meeting in Miami, one of Bloomberg's planes had a problem, so they simply got on his other plane. Bloomberg also spoke to New York Magazine about readily using his wealth to achieve his end-goals, including to help win elections. "If you really believe that you're making a difference and that you can leave a legacy of better schools and jobs and safer streets, why would you not spend the money? The objective is to improve the schools, bring down crime, build affordable housing, clean the streets—not to have a fair fight." ANOTHER INTERESTING ASPECT OF HIS WEALTH WAS HOW HE ALLOWED IT TO BE SCRUTINIZED. BLOOMBERG LET REPORTERS REVIEW HIS ANNUAL TAX RETURNS AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES, BUT NOT COPY THEM, BECAUSE HE WAS CONCERNED GIVING AWAY TOO MUCH WOULD BENEFIT HIS COMPETITORS. _Source: The New York Times_ IN 2011, HE PURCHASED A HAMPTONS HOME, CALLED "BALLYSHEAR." THE ESTATE'S 35 ACRES AND 22,000-SQUARE-FOOT HOUSE HAD AN ASKING PRICE OF $22.5 MILLION. HE ALSO OWNS A NEIGHBORING HOUSE AND ANOTHER 4.8-ACRE PLOT OF VACANT LAND. _Source: Business Insider_ IN 2012, BLOOMBERG TRIED TO COMBAT OBESITY BY BANNING SODA AND SUGARY DRINKS IN CUPS MORE THAN 16 OUNCES — AT LEAST IN RESTAURANTS, CINEMAS, AND STREET CARTS. It would have been the first city in America to enforce such a ban, but it was struck down by the New York Supreme Court, and again on appeal in 2014. The idea was widely derided on late night talk shows. THOUGH NUTRITION WAS ONE OF HIS SIGNATURE ISSUES AS MAYOR, HE HAD BEEN CHIDED FOR NOT FOLLOWING HIS OWN ADVICE. HE LOVES CHEEZ-ITS, PUTS SALT ON EVERYTHING (EVEN PIZZA), AND DRINKS THREE TO FOUR CUPS OF COFFEE A DAY. The manager at Viand, a Greek diner near Bloomberg's Upper East Side townhouse, told The New York Times he liked so much salt on his bagel, "it's like a pretzel." He also made headlines for recommending going to the toilet less to get more done. IN 2013, AFTER THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING, BLOOMBERG CALLED FOR CONSTITUTIONAL PRIVACY PROTECTIONS TO BE WEAKENED, ACCORDING TO THE ATLANTIC. "We have to understand that in the world going forward," he said, "we're going to have more cameras and that kind of stuff. That's good in some senses, but it's different than what we are used to. And the people who are worried about privacy have a legitimate worry, but we live in a complex world where you're going to have a level of security greater than you did back in the olden days, if you will. And our laws and our interpretation of the Constitution I think have to change." THAT SAME YEAR, HE WAS SUCCEEDED BY CURRENT MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO. THE NEW YORK POST WROTE THAT HIS IMPACT WOULD BE MOST-FELT THROUGH HIS PRO-HEALTH POLICIES. "In his three terms, Nanny Bloomberg waged war on salt and soda, banned smoking in parks and pushed breast-feeding by having hospitals hide the formula," the Post wrote. The New York Times was less critical, and said after Bloomberg left he would "bequeath a litany of record-shattering statistics on crime reduction, sidewalk safety and skyline-altering construction." It also noted that while usually "the city paid its mayor; Mr. Bloomberg paid to be the city's mayor." It estimated he had spent $650 million of his own money on things related to running the city, like campaigning and travel costs. A PORTION OF THAT WENT ON KEEPING FISH ALIVE. BLOOMBERG LOVES MARINE LIFE. WHILE HE WAS AT CITY HALL, HE HAD TWO ENORMOUS TANKS INSTALLED, AND SPENT $62,400 OF HIS OWN MONEY A WEEK TO MAINTAIN THEM. _Source: The New York Times _ IN 2014, EIGHT MONTHS AFTER STEPPING DOWN AS MAYOR, HE RESUMED CONTROL OF BLOOMBERG LP. WITH HIS RETURN, FORMER CEO DANIEL DOCTOROFF STEPPED DOWN. Doctoroff told The New York Times, "Mike is kind of like God at the company. He created the universe. He issued the Ten Commandments and then he disappeared. And then he came back. You have to understand that when God comes back, things are going to be different. When God reappeared, people defer." IN 2014, QUEEN ELIZABETH II MADE BLOOMBERG AN HONORARY KNIGHT FOR HIS "PRODIGIOUS ENTREPRENEURIAL AND PHILANTHROPIC ENDEAVORS." SINCE HE'S NOT BRITISH HE CAN'T CALL HIMSELF "SIR." _Source: The Telegraph _ HE OWNS TWO HOUSES IN LONDON — A CITY HE'S REFERRED TO AS HIS SECOND HOME. THE FIRST, WHICH BLOOMBERG HAS OWNED FOR A WHILE, IS IN THE EXCLUSIVE BOROUGH OF KNIGHTSBRIDGE. IT'S REPORTEDLY FILLED WITH AMERICAN ART. _Sources: New York Magazine, New York Daily News_ HE BOUGHT A SECOND LONDON HOME WAS FOR $25 MILLION IN 2015. IT SITS ALONG THE RIVER THAMES AND WAS ONCE OWNED BY NOVELIST GEORGE ELIOT. _Source: The New York Times _ ALTHOUGH HE WAS OUT OF PUBLIC SERVICE, BLOOMBERG CONTINUED TO DONATE. BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES SAYS HE HAS DONATED MORE THAN $6 BILLION TO A VARIETY OF CHARITABLE CAUSES OVER THE YEARS. In 2015, he gave $100 million to Cornell's technology campus on New York's Roosevelt Island. The university won a competition put on by the city while Bloomberg was still mayor to build an applied sciences campus on the island. It was named "The Bloomberg Center," after his daughters. HE'S AN AVID SKIER AND OWNS A TOP FLOOR UNIT IN THE MOUNTAIN HAUS SKI RESORT IN VAIL, COLORADO. HE'S ALSO A MEMBER OF THE EXCLUSIVE GAME CREEK CLUB, A RESTAURANT LOCATED MIDWAY DOWN A SKI SLOPE. _Source: New York Magazine_ ANOTHER OF HIS INTERNATIONAL ABODES IS IN BERMUDA, WHERE IT'S NOTORIOUSLY HARD FOR NON-NATIVES TO PURCHASE A HOME. IN THE COMFORT OF HIS PRIVATE JET, HE CAN GET TO HIS BERMUDA HOUSE FROM NEW YORK CITY IN TWO HOURS. Cab drivers in the area often compete to drive him, as he is a very good tipper, according to The New York Times. BLOOMBERG HAS HIS OWN PRIVATE JETS — INCLUDING A TRIJET DASSAULT FALCON 900B. _Source: Wall Street Journal _ HE'S ALSO PASSIONATE ABOUT HELICOPTERS. HE OWNS A SIX-SEAT AGUSTA SPA A109S — WHICH HE IS FOND OF FLYING — WORTH $4.5 MILLION. BLOOMBERG IS SAID TO BE AN EXCELLENT PILOT AND RECEIVED HIS FLYING LICENSE IN 1976. _Source: The New York Times_ HIS LOVE OF AIRCRAFTS DOESN'T STOP THERE. HE'S ONE OF 50 WHO HAVE "EXPRESSED INTEREST" IN OWNING AN AGUSTA WESTLAND AW609 TILT-ROTOR, A FUTURISTIC PLANE AND HELICOPTER HYBRID. THE COMPANY PLANS TO DELIVER THE FIRST UNITS IN 2020. _Sources: The New York Times, Airway1_ AS FOR SUITING, HIS CLOSET IS FILLED WITH THREADS MADE BY LEGENDARY BROOKLYN TAILOR MARTIN GREENFIELD. _Source: New York Daily News_ IN 2016, BLOOMBERG'S POLITICAL ROOTS RE-EMERGED WHEN HE SPOKE AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION. _Source: Politifact_ IN 2017, HE PUBLISHED "CLIMATE OF HOPE: HOW CITIES, BUSINESSES, AND CITIZENS CAN SAVE THE PLANET." HE HAS DONATED $650 MILLION TO FUND THE SIERRA CLUB'S BEYOND COAL CAMPAIGN, AND POSITIONED HIMSELF AS A GLOBAL LEADER PUSHING FOR CLIMATE ACTION. _Sources: Politifact, InsideClimate News, The New York Times_ IN 2018, HE OFFICIALLY REGISTERED AS A DEMOCRAT. IN THE ELECTIONS THAT YEAR, HE WAS THE SECOND-LARGEST DONOR, CONTRIBUTING ABOUT $95 MILLION, ALMOST ENTIRELY TO DEMOCRATS. _Sources: Politifact, OpenSecrets_ IN NOVEMBER, HIS ADVISER HOWARD WOLFSON TOLD THE GUARDIAN THAT BLOOMBERG THOUGHT PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WAS AN "UNPRECEDENTED THREAT" TO AMERICA, AND THE DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DIDN'T HAVE WHAT IT TOOK TO BEAT HIM. _Source: The Guardian_ AT THE END OF NOVEMBER, BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCED HE WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. IT WAS A LATE ENTRY — FIVE DEMOCRAT DEBATES HAD ALREADY BEEN HELD. "Defeating Donald Trump — and rebuilding America — is the most urgent and important fight of our lives. And I'm going all in," Bloomberg told The New York Times. "I offer myself as a doer and a problem solver — not a talker. And someone who is ready to take on the tough fights — and win." He's previously contemplated running in 2016 while he was an independent, and earlier in 2019. Within the first week of entering the race, he spent $30 million, the most a candidate has ever spent in a week in a primary, and by the end of the first month, he had spent over $100 million on TV ads alone. AFTER HE ENTERED THE RACE, HE APOLOGIZED FOR SUPPORTING THE "STOP-AND-FRISK" POLICY WHILE HE WAS NEW YORK'S MAYOR. _Source: The Nation_ HE ALSO ADVISED BLOOMBERG MEDIA NOT TO INVESTIGATE ANY DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE, INCLUDING HIMSELF. HE TOLD CBS NEWS, "THEY GET A PAYCHECK. BUT WITH YOUR PAYCHECK COMES SOME RESTRICTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES." _Source: NBC News _ IN NOVEMBER, BUSINESS INSIDER PUBLISHED A REPORT DELVING INTO DECADES OF COURT RECORDS ABOUT THE CULTURE OF BLOOMBERG LP, WHICH HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A SEXUALIZED, PREDATORY ENVIRONMENT. The reporting showed that Bloomberg permitted his company to become — in the words of one former employee — a "reckless playground" for male senior executives to "target young, female, naive employees" for sex. Bloomberg's spokesperson said the comments were unfortunate episodes from decades ago, but the company faces five active discrimination complaints. READ THE FULL STORY HERE » IN DECEMBER, BLOOMBERG MOVED HIS EXPANDING CAMPAIGN TEAM, OF 300 STAFFERS, TO A NEW SPACE IN TIMES SQUARE. HE HAS 200 MORE STAFF MEMBERS AROUND THE COUNTRY. He said when he was president he'd turn the White House's East Room into an open plan office, where he'd work beside his team, and that he'd never use the Oval Office for tweeting. The new office also has countdown clocks ticking down to Super Tuesday and the General Election. This is because he's skipping the first four states in his unusual campaign to be the next president of the United States. OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, HE HAD AN ADVERTISING BLITZ. BY FEBRUARY 18, HE SPENT $338.7 MILLION, FROM HIS $64 BILLION FORTUNE. INSIDER'S ELIZA RELMAN REPORTED THAT WAS MORE THAN BARACK OBAMA SPENT FOR HIS ENTIRE 2012 CAMPAIGN. _Sources: Business Insider, Business Insider _ ON FEBRUARY 19, HE HAD HIS FIRST DEBATE ALONGSIDE HIS DEMOCRAT RIVALS. GOING INTO THE DEBATE, POLLS HAD HIM AT THIRD PLACE FOR THE NOMINATION. HE INSTANTLY CAME UNDER FIRE — ABOUT HIS TIME AS MAYOR, REPUBLICAN DONATIONS, RACIAL PROFILING, WHAT HE'S SAID ABOUT WOMEN, AND CLAIMS OF HARASSMENT AT HIS COMPANY. His fiercest critic of the night was Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who said early on, "I want to talk about who we're running against: a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians. And no I'm not talking about Donald Trump — I'm talking about Mayor Bloomberg." ON TWITTER, HE WROTE AFTERWARDS THAT HE HAD SHARED A STAGE WITH POLITICIANS WHO TALKED "BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE GOOD AT." HE CONTINUED: "I HAVE BUILT. I HAVE CREATED ACTUAL CHANGE. I HAVE GOTTEN IT DONE. THAT'S WHAT I'LL DO FOR AMERICA." _Source: Twitter_ DIRECTLY AFTER THE DEBATE, THE ODDS OF HIM BECOMING THE NEXT DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE HAD FALLEN TO 19%. BUT HE WAS ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL THE FOLLOWING DAY, AND STILL HAD BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THROW AT THE RACE. _Sources_: _ The New York Times, Business Insider_
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