Warren Blasts Bloomberg in Iowa: ‘He Only Needs Bags and Bags of Money’

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) kicked off her campaign event in Ankeny, Iowa, on Monday by blasting Michael Bloomberg and his “version of democracy,” arguing that he is not relying on people but “bags and bags of money” to “buy the nomination.”

Warren, a fierce critic of Bloomberg, kicked off a town hall meeting in Ankeny, Iowa, by addressing the billionaire’s entry into the race.

“So I am here during day two of Michael Bloomberg’s 37 million dollar ad buy,” Warren said. “Michael Bloomberg is making a bet about Democracy in 2020. He doesn’t need people. He only needs bags and bags of money.”

She added that it is precisely how he “plans to buy a nomination in the Democratic Party:”

His view is that he doesn’t need people who knock on doors. He doesn’t need to get out and campaign with people. He doesn’t need volunteers. And if you get out and knock on 1,000 doors, he’ll just spend another $37 million to flood the airwaves.

“I think this is fundamentally wrong,” Warren said, warning that if Bloomberg’s “version of democracy wins,” it will fundamentally change democracy as we know it.

“It’s going to be about which billionaire can you stomach going forward. Because believe me, there are plenty of billionaires who think they should be president, or the minimum, should be picking the president,” she said:

Sen. Warren on Bloomberg entering the race:

"His view is that he doesn't need people who knock on doors … If you get out and knock on 1,000 doors, he'll just spend another $37M to flood the airwaves — and that's how he plans to buy a nomination in the Democratic Party." pic.twitter.com/nH6xY7Jppm

— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 25, 2019

Many Warren allies view Bloomberg’s late entry into the race as a positive for the Massachusetts senator, noting that he encapsulates precisely what Warren claims she is campaigning against.

“This may be one of the most important things that happened to her campaign,” Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Adam Green said, according to the Daily Beast.

“Bloomberg’s entrance centers the conversation to the core themes that have been instrumental to Elizabeth Warren’s rise,” he continued, noting “the systemic corruption of our democracy by billionaires,” specifically.

Bloomberg, thus far, has spent more time focusing on President Trump as opposed to his immediate Democrat competitors.

“I’m running for president to defeat Donald Trump and rebuild America,” he states on his campaign website.

“We cannot afford four more years of President Trump’s reckless and unethical actions,” he continues, calling Trump an “existential threat to our country and our values.”

“If he wins another term in office, we may never recover from the damage,” he warns. “The stakes could not be higher. We must win this election. And we must begin rebuilding America.”

Bloomberg is expected to virtually ignore the first four states in the Democrat Primary – Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina – and focus on Super Tuesday instead.