Bloomberg holds off on 2020 endorsement and says Biden is "not a lock for the nomination"
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, once considered a possible Democratic candidate for president, said he is holding off on endorsing any of the current candidates. Bloomberg told "Face the Nation" he believes the way to judge a candidate is by what he or she has done in the past.
"I want to elect people that have demonstrated ability to do things and a desire that even when it was unpopular, to go and do the right thing," Bloomberg said.
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Bloomberg said that, for example, on gun reform, he wanted to see what work a candidate had done with Moms Demand Action or have they been working against the NRA. Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety held a forum in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday that was attended by most of the Democratic contenders.
When "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan asked him when he will make an endorsement, Bloomberg noted there are "15 months" until the election. "Certainly not going to worry about it today," he said.
Bloomberg also said current frontrunner Joe Biden is "not a lock" for the nomination.
"No, I think — and Joe would certainly tell you — that he's not a lock for the nomination," Bloomberg told "Face the Nation." "There are 20 candidates, of which the majority of them have a really legitimate chance."
Bloomberg said Biden has "great experience" and is a "great American who's worked very hard for the country." But, he said, "there are lots of others who you can say exactly the same thing about."
"Joe's going to have to go out there and earn his spurs as they say and he's going to have to face every issue," Bloomberg said. "All of the Democrats are running against each other for the nomination. They're not running against Donald Trump at the moment, that's for the next election. And I think that they're going to have to make their case why their domestic and foreign policies would be better than the other person's."
