The first charges arrived less than ten seconds after the start of the game. "An arrogant billionaire" who supported "racist policies": White House candidate Michael Bloomberg was sharply criticized on Wednesday by his rivals for the Democratic nomination in his first televised campaign debate.
Of a rare intensity, the tone immediately rose during the debate organized in Las Vegas, Nevada, between the candidates who hope to challenge the Republican Donald Trump during the presidential election in November. Independent senator Bernie Sanders, a big favorite in the polls, has also received his share of heavy attacks.
“I would like to talk about our opponent. A billionaire who treats women of fat girls and lesbians with horse heads. And no, I'm not talking about Donald Trump. I'm talking about Michael Bloomberg, "said progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren, causing stunned shouts in the room. She immediately accused him of having "supported racist policies", in particular with reference to arbitrary arrests and searches ("stop-and-frisk"), accused of having sparked an explosion of facial checks in New York. when he was mayor of the city. This practice, for which Michael Bloomberg recently apologized after having defended it for a long time, targeted "African-Americans and Hispanics indecently", thunders Bernie Sanders.
"Replace an arrogant billionaire with another"
Faced with these accusations taken up by others on the set, Michael Bloomberg sought to present himself as the democrat most apt to win the presidential election of November 3, notably by tackling the socialist Bernie Sanders, who, according to him, " no chance of beating President Trump. " "Who can beat Donald Trump?" And who can do the job if he gets to the White House? I would say that I am the candidate who can do these two things, "added Michael Bloomberg, recalling his past as mayor of a cosmopolitan city and his investments in philanthropic causes.
"Democrats take a huge risk if we just replace one arrogant billionaire with another," said Elisabeth Warren. Having not disputed debate for more than a decade, Michael Bloomberg sometimes seemed to be in the background, moving from a hesitant tone to firmer accents. Too much, sometimes, to the taste of the public who booed after certain answers deemed brittle.
Ninth richest man in the world in 2019 according to Forbes, Michael Bloomberg presents himself as a candidate capable of rallying in the center. The head of the Bloomberg news agency finances his candidacy with hundreds of millions of dollars from his personal funds.
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