Bloomberg says he'll decide on presidential run by February

WASHINGTON — Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday he will decide by February whether he will enter the 2020 presidential race.

Bloomberg, appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said his timeline to decide “is beginning of the year, end of January, into February maybe.”

“There's no rush to do it. Everybody wants to know what you're going to do, and the bottom line is I'm not sure yet," Bloomberg told “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd. ”I care about a bunch of issues. I care for my kids. I care for this country that's been so good to me. And I want to see how I can help the best.”

Bloomberg, a billionaire media executive who had been a registered Democrat for most of his life before changing parties and winning the New York City mayor’s seat as a Republican in 2001, told Todd he would “certainly run as a Democrat.” Bloomberg left the Republican party in 2007 and won a third term as mayor as an independent. He recently re-registered as a Democrat.

“I'm much closer to their philosophy, although I don't agree with any one party on everything,” Bloomberg said of the Democratic Party. “Keep in mind, I got elected in New York City, an overwhelming Democratic city, an overwhelming minority city, and I got elected three times. So I must know something about this.”

Bloomberg, 76, said part of his motivation to run is his opposition to President Donald Trump’s policies.

“I disagree with our current president on so many things that I don't even know where to start,” Bloomberg said.

The former mayor is part of a crowded field of Democrats weighing a possible run for the White House, including fellow New Yorkers Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.