Bernie Sanders ‘Disgusted’ by Michael Bloomberg’s $33 Million Ad Buy

2020 Democratic presidential hopeful US Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) speaks during a camp
JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images
Hannah Knudsen

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said he is “disgusted” by Michael Bloomberg’s decision to purchase a massive $33 million ad buy, describing it as the “latest example of a rigged political system that we are going to change when we’re in the White House.”

Reports emerged on Friday that Bloomberg, who filed a statement of candidacy on Thursday, also purchased a $33 million ad buy, which will span across 99 cities from November 23 through December 3, 2019, according to the New York Post. The buy comes despite the fact that the former New York City mayor has yet to formally announce his intention to run for president.

Sanders, a fierce critic of Bloomberg, said in a statement that he is “disgusted” by Bloomberg’s latest move and suggested that it is symbolic of the billionaire’s inability to garner grassroots support.

“I’m disgusted by the idea that Michael Bloomberg or any other billionaire thinks they can circumvent the political process and spend tens of millions of dollars to buy our elections,” Sanders said in a statement.

“It’s just the latest example of a rigged political system that we are going to change when we’re in the White House,” he continued.

“If you can’t build grassroots support for your candidacy, you have no business running for president,” he added. “The American people are sick and tired of the power of billionaires, and I suspect they won’t react well to someone trying to buy an election.”

This is hardly the first time Sanders has criticized Bloomberg for attempting to “buy” the election. The Vermont senator has sharply criticized Bloomberg’s rumored strategy — focusing on Super Tuesday states rather than Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.

“Our campaign is going to end a corrupt political system dominated by billionaires and wealthy campaign contributors,” Sanders said at a rally in Coralville, Iowa, this month.

“Our campaign is going to end the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality which exists in America today,” he continued. “So tonight, we say to Michael Bloomberg and other billionaires, ‘Sorry, you ain’t going to buy this election.’”

“You’re not going to get elected president by avoiding Iowa, by avoiding New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. You’re not going to buy this election by spending hundreds of millions of dollars on media in California,” he added. “Those days are gone”:

Sanders’ beef with billionaires extends far beyond Bloomberg. The presidential hopeful outlined his radical redistribution plan in September, touting an “extreme wealth” tax and declaring that “billionaires should not exist”:

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