Sep 17, 2018

Podcast: Ex-Bloomberg aide says no 2020 decision yet

Dan Primack

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."

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Scott Rosenberg

Tech can't remember what to do in a down market

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

Wall Street's two-day-old coronavirus crash is a wakeup alarm for Silicon Valley.

The big picture: Tech has been booming for so long the industry barely remembers what a down market feels like — and most companies are ill-prepared for one.

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Sam Baker

Brace yourself for a coronavirus outbreak

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Public-health officials’ warnings about the coronavirus are sounding increasingly urgent, with one top CDC official asking the public yesterday "to prepare for the expectation that this might be bad."

Reality check: Other administration officials, including President Trump himself, were more subdued in their assessments. But underneath those tonal differences, the reality of the coronavirus is the same: It spreads quickly, and has already spread to many countries, making it likely to start spreading here, too.

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Alayna Treene

Exclusive: Pro-Trump group plans post-Super Tuesday blitz on Democrats

Democratic presidential hopefuls take the debate stage in South Carolina. Photo: Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images

Pro-Trump super PAC America First Action is preparing to unleash a series of targeted, swing-state attacks on the Democrats most likely to face President Trump after Super Tuesday, people familiar with the group's plans tell me in an exclusive preview of its strategy.

The state of play: The group has been tracking favorable/unfavorable ratings in Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania for 2020 candidates Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and Michael Bloomberg — under the theory that if Trump wins each of these six states he would win re-election.

Go deeperArrow2 hours ago - Politics & Policy