Michael Bloomberg is the billionaire former Mayor of New York City. The New York Times and CNN reported Saturday, January 23, 2016, that Bloomberg was working on plans for a possible independent 2016 presidential run because of the prospect of a Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton general election match up. Bloomberg confirmed on March 7, 2016, that he had decided not to run.
The Times reported that Bloomberg "instructed advisers to draw up plans for a potential independent campaign in this year's presidential race. His advisers and associates said he was galled by Donald J. Trump's dominance of the Republican field, and troubled by Hillary Clinton's stumbles and the rise of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on the Democratic side."
Bloomberg considered a White House bid before, but concluded he couldn't win. That was before the "conventional wisdom" rule book was tossed out the window with the remarkable rise of Trump ad the strength of "socialist" Bernie Sanders challenge of Clinton.
