Bradley Tusk, who managed Mike Bloomberg's third mayoral campaign and devised his unused 2016 presidential strategy, does not believe that the billionaire has made a decision about 2020. When asked by the Axios Pro Rata podcast about Monday's New York Times report that Bloomberg may run for president as a Democrat, Tusk said:
"Not that I know of. ... I think the only real distinction between what you saw in 2016 and what you're hearing now is the realization that the country at the moment is so partisan that, whereas an independent run in 2016 might have been feasible, it would be really tough in 2020. And I think that's what he's really been saying. Whether or not he chooses to run is still a totally open question."