This Man's Money Talks

Michael Bloomberg has the cash and the clout to challenge Donald Trump for president – but his manners leave much to be desired

He's a brash, bombastic billionaire who doesn’t hold back from letting everyone know exactly what’s on his mind.

And it doesn’t seem to bug Michael Bloomberg one bit that his politically incorrect utterances often have people baying for his blood.

In other presidential races, this approach might have proved career suicide – but it could be just the ticket should he go up against President Donald Trump in the upcoming US election.

Some commentators say right now Bloomberg (78), a media mogul and former mayor of New York, is probably the only candidate who can give Trump (73) a run for his money.

And that’s large because, like the outspoken president, he doesn’t sugarcoat things. In fact, some of the comments he’s made over the years – such as referring to a member of the British royal family as “a horsey-faced lesbian”, describing women as “fat broads” and “pieces of meat” and talking about transgender people as “he, she or it” – is outrageous enough to make even Trump blush.

It also doesn’t hurt that, like Trump, he’s stinking rich. With an estimated fortune of $53 billion (R795bn), Bloomberg is the 12th richest man in the world, so instead of relying on donations from sponsors, he’s able to finance his own presidential bid.

Ten weeks into his campaign he’d already splurged a record $464 million (R6,9bn) – most of which has been spent on advertising.

These days it’s impossible for Americans to turn on their TVs and not see him. But this had led to many critics questioning whether he’s actually running the race – or just going all out to buy it.