'Mike Would Like to Be President,' Bloomberg's Ex-Campaign Manager Bradley Tusk Says
*By Chloe Aiello*
Michael Bloomberg wants to be president, his former campaign manager Bradley Tusk told Cheddar on Tuesday.
"Just putting all cards on the table: Mike would like to be president, Mike would be an excellent president," Tusk said.
Tusk, who ran Bloomberg's 2009 re-election campaign for New York City mayor, said the billionaire has given serious consideration to a 2020 run on the Democratic ticket, but will only run if he feels he has a decent shot at winning.
"He's not going to run for the sake of running and for getting attention's sake. If he believes there's a real path to capturing the nomination and winning the general election, then he'll do it," Tusk said. "He's spending a lot of time right now looking at different states, different opportunities and trying to figure out whether it makes sense."
Founder of Bloomberg L.P. and one of the world's richest men, Bloomberg served three terms as Republican mayor of New York City, beginning in 2001, but has become increasingly critical of Republican policies, particularly on the subject of guns. In October, Bloomberg officially swapped his affiliation back to the Democratic Party. He [even donated $80 million](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/20/us/politics/mike-bloomberg-democrats-election.html?module=inline) to help flip the House of Representatives for the Democrats in the midterm elections, according to The New York Times.
An early poll in Iowa, [conducted by CNN and the Des Moines Register](http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2018/images/12/15/rel1iademocrats.pdf), places Bloomberg in the middle of the pack ー about ninth in pack of 21 Democratic candidates reportedly considering primary runs. One place Bloomberg might be more popular, however, is Silicon Valley ー his experience as a tech entrepreneur might make him one of the best candidates for tech, Tusk said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/tech-companies-prepare-to-take-on-political-battles-in-2019).
Orangetheory Fitness is redefining the future of workouts with smarter tech, strength-based programming, and community-driven studios built for what’s next.
Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros or $75 million for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals. The consumer rights ministry announced the fine on Monday. The ministry stated that many listings lacked proper license numbers or included incorrect information. The move is part of Spain's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term rental companies amid a housing affordability crisis especially in popular urban areas. The ministry ordered Airbnb in May to remove around 65,000 listings for similar violations. The government's consumer rights minister emphasized the impact on families struggling with housing. Airbnb said it plans to challenge the fine in court.
Roomba maker iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but says that it doesn’t expect any disruptions to devices as the more than 30-year-old company is taken private under a restructuring process. iRobot said that it is being acquired by Picea through a court-supervised process. Picea is the company's primary contract manufacturer. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based anticipates completing the prepackaged chapter 11 process by February.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
