Did Bloomberg prove you can't buy the presidency?
Billionaire candidate ends campaign; reaction from former California Republican Party chairman Tom Del Beccaro.
Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg spent more than $275 million on an anti-Trump media blitz during his presidential campaign to “remind voters” of President Trump’s “failures and broken promises.”
The Bloomberg campaign confirmed to Fox News Wednesday that of the more than $500 million spent on ads during the campaign, more than $275 million went directly toward ads aimed at Trump.
BLOOMBERG SUSPENDS CAMPAIGN, ENDORSES BIDEN
“Beginning in December 2019, Mike Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign launched a massive $275 million media blitz to remind voters of President Trump’s failures and broken promises,” the now-suspended campaign said in a statement Wednesday. “Until the Bloomberg campaign kicked off this effort, Trump had been running virtually unopposed in key states that will decide the 2020 election.”
“And if it were not for the Bloomberg campaign, Trump would have continued running unopposed until Democrats officially select their nominee and switch their full focus to the incumbent president,” they said, while noting that the ads the Bloomberg team “ran to take the fight directly to Donald Trump” would be available on their website.
“The Bloomberg campaign is making all of its creative assets available to the public to download and share on their own networks,” they added.
The campaign released a breakdown of their spending—noting that $225 million was spent on television ads that “reinforced Mike’s message that Trump was not fit to be president;” more than $175 million spent in local markets and in battleground states; and more than $45 million was spent nationally.
The campaign also spent $49.6 million in digital anti-Trump ads, which they say represents part of the $100 million pledge that Bloomberg “committed to spending” before officially entering the presidential race in November 2019.
BLOOMBERG WINS AMERICAN SAMOA--AND THAT'S IT
The campaign also said they spent $671,664 in “out-of-home” advertising, including “trolling Trump on the Las Vegas strip” before Trump rallies and anti-Trump billboards in Super Tuesday states, Michigan and in front of the White House.
Bloomberg suspended his presidential campaign last Wednesday, after spending millions from his own fortune and failing to claim any significant victories on Super Tuesday beyond his single win in the American Samoa caucuses. Super Tuesday was the first time Bloomberg appeared on a primary ballot, after having skipped the early nominating contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
Upon dropping out of the race, Bloomberg immediately announced he would endorse former Vice President Joe Biden, following in the footsteps of other former Democratic presidential candidates who consolidated support behind Biden in the primary brawl against self-described Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
President Trump, who had been relentless in mocking Bloomberg over everything from his height to his debate performances, delivered his observations on the race after Bloomberg dropped out.
"Mini Mike Bloomberg just 'quit' the race for President. I could have told him long ago that he didn’t have what it takes, and he would have saved himself a billion dollars, the real cost. Now he will pour money into Sleepy Joe’s campaign, hoping to save face. It won’t work!" he tweeted.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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