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Michael Bloomberg

Bloomberg once praised Trump as a 'great guy,' referred to himself as 'big fan' of future POTUS

By Joseph Wulfsohn Fox News
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Karl Rove's warning to Mike Bloomberg ahead of Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas Video

Karl Rove's warning to Mike Bloomberg ahead of Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas

Bloomberg's 2020 rivals may have opposition research 'gems' that they are ready to spring on the former New York City mayor, says Fox News contributor Karl Rove, former White House deputy chief of staff.

Long before former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched his campaign to defeat President Trump in 2020, he offered praise for the fellow billionaire as a "great guy" and someone he considers himself to be a "big fan" of.

In a resurfaced clip ahead of the 2012 election, Bloomberg was asked on "Good Morning America" about Trump's potential presidential bid, something the then-reality show star didn't pursue until the 2016 election.

"America's a wonderful country. Everybody who's born here and is over 35 has the opportunity," Bloomberg jokingly began.

He continued, "I know Donald Trump. He's a great guy. He doesn't do everything he says, but he sure tries. And I'm a big fan of Donald Trump."

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"Do you think he's gonna run?" George Stephanopoulos asked.

"I have no idea," Bloomberg chuckled. "You'll have to ask Donald Trump.

In a 2011 interview on Fox News Sunday, Bloomberg repeated similar kind words, telling Chris Wallace "I'm a friend" of Trump and calling him a "New York icon." He even appeared to downplay Trump's involvement in pushing the birtherism conspiracy against President Obama.

"This birther issue is more than one person. There's a lot of groups that have glommed onto this," Bloomberg said.

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Bloomberg's relationship with Trump has soured since then as the two billionaires have been feuding on Twitter. The president repeatedly calls Bloomberg "Mini Mike" and the former mayor labels Trump a "carnival barking clown."