Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the world’s richest men, is to decide on his presidential ambitions in early 2019. If he decides to run, it would mean his company could be sold.
Bloomberg revealed the possible future of the company, which he founded in 1981, in an interview with Radio Iowa as he came to the state touting a film about climate change which he financed. The richest billionaire in the media business, and 10th richest person in the world, said he would either sell the company or put it in a blind trust.
However, the 76-year-old noted that selling would be a better option at his age. The financial and media empire that bears his name now generates over $9 billion in annual revenue, according to Forbes data.
Also on rt.com Trump’s truculence on trade paying off? G20 backs WTO reform, sometime down the road“But I think at my age, if selling it is possible, I would do that,” Bloomberg told the radio. “At some point, you’re going to die anyway, so you want to do it before then.”
While Bloomberg eyes the possible presidential run as a Democrat, having financially supported the party during the 2018 midterms and whose values he says he shared all his life, he ran for mayor as a Republican in 2001. He was in the party for around 6 years, before becoming an independent in 2007.
It is not the first time the billionaire has flirted with a presidential bid. In 2018, the tycoon re-registered as a Democrat, in what was seen as a possible step toward running for president in 2020.
The 2020 election will not be the first race for the White House Bloomberg seeks to enter. In 2016, he considered running as an independent, with then-candidate Donald Trump welcoming Bloomberg’s bid, saying he would “love” to compete with him. However, Bloomberg, who has been sharply critical of Trump, pulled out of the race and instead announced his support for Hillary Clinton.
For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section