Bloomberg unveils national TV ad slamming Trump for coronavirus response
Mike Bloomberg's campaign unveiled a national ad Wednesday for cable and broadcast slamming President Trump for his response to the spread of the coronavirus and highlighting Bloomberg's own managerial experience as the former mayor of New York City.
"Health experts warn the U.S. is underprepared. Managing a crisis is what Mike Bloomberg does," the 30-second ad says. "In the aftermath of 9/11, he steadied and rebuilt America's largest city, oversaw emergency response to natural disasters, upgraded hospital preparedness to manage health crises, and he's funding cutting edge research to contain epidemics."
Here's the ad:
The ad is running nationally in 150 media markets and on cable and broadcast in 27 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
As mayor, Bloomberg oversaw New York City's response to the H1N1 outbreak in 2009 and the West Nile virus in 2012.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans to be prepared for the COVID-19 illness to start spreading within the U.S. populace, saying it's a when-not-if question. But Mr. Trump suggests fears of the disease are overblown, tweeting that the "USA is in great shape" on Tuesday.
Bloomberg released a statement on the coronavirus threat ahead of the debate Tuesday evening, saying Mr. Trump's "incompetence is putting us all at risk."
"In times like this, we need calm, proven leadership in the White House — someone who has led during a crisis, believes in science, invests in prevention and preparation, and listens to advisors, scientists, and public health officials," Bloomberg said in the statement.
Bloomberg, a billionaire who is self-funding his campaign, has poured millions of dollars into broadcasting national ads ahead of Super Tuesday next week. He was not on the ballot in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina, and has focused his campaign strategy on the delegate-rich Super Tuesday states.
Tim Perry contributed to this report.