Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg used his first answer in his first Democratic debate to make a central point of his candidacy clear: He doesn’t believe Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders can beat President Donald Trump.
“I don't think there's any chance of the senator beating President Trump,” Bloomberg said. “If he goes and is the candidate, we will have Donald Trump for another four years, and we can't stand that.”
Bloomberg’s line underscores the former mayor’s entire argument and highlights how his candidacy is aimed at quelling concerns among establishment Democrats about what Sanders, an avowed Democratic socialist, would mean atop the 2020 ticket.
Bloomberg particularly argued that Sanders’ views on health care — and his pledge to enact a "Medicare for All" single payer system — would hurt his electability.
“You don't start out by saying I've got 160 million people I'm going to take away the insurance plan that they love. That's just not a ways that you go and start building the coalition that the Sanders camp,” Bloomberg said.