Bloomberg slams Trump coronavirus response, also points to market plunge
Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg criticized President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus Friday in a campaign stop in Memphis, blaming the president for the stock market’s plunge and claiming he is endangering American lives.
“We have a leadership vacuum in the White House and it can’t come at a worst time. The coronavirus has already arrived in America. And make no mistake, the incompetence in the White House is endangering lives and hurting our economy,” Bloomberg said. “The fact is, the president was briefed on the coronavirus two months ago and he just buried his head in the sand. And he has done it again and again.”
Bloomberg drew cheers, applause and laughter when he attacked and poked fun at Trump, saying at one point, “The president is not a scientist. That’s a nice way of putting it ... He’s not leading. He’s reacting.”
“The stock market has plunged partly out of fear, but also because investors have no confidence that the president is capable of managing the crisis,” Bloomberg said.
In a later interview with The Commercial Appeal, Bloomberg said he had no idea if California Gov. Gavin Newsom should declare a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak.
“I don’t know what that means. Each state has different rules. I can tell you that the president has left us dramatically unprepared and there are some things that state governments can do, but it’s very hard ... We need the government of the entire United States,” Bloomberg said.
As the stock market headed for its worst weekly loss since the 2008 financial crisis, Bloomberg did not say if the market’s reaction was too much or appropriate, but he did note the risk to global aviation and tourism stocks.
“If you owned an airline, you would be petrified that you can’t stay in business if this continues because nobody is flying. If you owned stock in Disney ... Try a Chinese restaurant. I will bet you anything that in Memphis, Chinese restaurants have seen a big decline in people coming through the front door,” Bloomberg said.
“This is hurting lots and lots of businesses and it’s not clear whether we’re overreacting or not. I’ll tell you in a few months when you see how much the virus spreads.”
Bloomberg using the coronavirus to attack Trump was part of his broader pitch of electability and effectiveness to voters in Memphis on Friday. It was a change from the normal stump speech that he has used during a barnstorming tour of the Super Tuesday states, which he has made the linchpin of his campaign.
Bloomberg’s appearance at Minglewood Hall was his second visit to the city. He is the only candidate to come in the last three months to a county that has the largest bloc of Democratic voters and an outsized influence on how Tennessee delegates are allocated.
‘I never said it’
Bloomberg grew defensive when asked about two of the issues that have clouded his campaign: allegations about how he has treated some of his female employees and the New York Police Department’s use of stop-andfrisk policing during his tenure as mayor.
The Commercial Appeal talked to him about a female Memphis voter, Marie Shoemaker, who described stop and frisk and his alleged sexist and misogynistic comments as “too much baggage.” Before the question was complete, Bloomberg interrupted.
“Look, we just won an award for the second-best company to work for in America. We attract women, do a great job and keep them. They get paid the same as men, have the same career opportunities … All of this stuff. Most of it is made up. I never said it,” Bloomberg said.
A campaign spokeswoman later clarified his comments.
“He was referring to allegations of inappropriate workplace language and the ‘kill it comment,’” the spokeswoman said.
Bloomberg has denied he once told a pregnant employee to “kill it.” She sued alleging workplace discrimination and it was settled with no admission of guilt, according to the Washington Post. A former Bloomberg employee told The Post he had heard the comment.
In the Feb. 19 Democratic debate, he acknowledged nondisclosure agreements with employees regarding comments he had made.
“We have a very few non-disclosure agreements … None of them accuse me of doing anything other than maybe they didn’t like a joke I told,” Bloomberg said on Feb. 19. He then released a statement that said three women who had signed non-disclosure agreements with Bloomberg LP would be released from the agreements if they so desired.
“I’ve had the company go back over its record and they’ve identified 3 NDAS that we signed over the past 30-plus years with women to address complaints about comments they said I had made. If any of them want to be released from their NDA so that they can talk about those allegations, they should contact the company and they’ll be given a release,” the statement said, in part.
In the interview with The Commercial Appeal, Bloomberg said, “if she wants to help women’s rights, I’m the candidate that’s demonstrated that I can do it. These other people … You should go ask what’s happened in their offices, I don’t know. I can just tell you that I’m very proud and if you interview women who work at Bloomberg, you’ll be shocked. They are 100%, or virtually 100%, behind me.”
Samuel Hardiman covers Memphis city government and politics for The Commercial Appeal. He welcomes tips from the public. He can be reached by email at samuel.hardiman@commercialappeal.com.