Bloomberg Super Tuesday: Before Vote, Billionaire Candidate Says He Agrees With Trump On China, North Korea

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg appears on the ballot in 14 states on Super Tuesday as he looks to make up ground after missing Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. The billionaire former New York City Mayor continues to strike a centrist tone, even going as far as to express agreement with President Trump on some key foreign policy areas.

While appearing on a Fox News Town Hall event in Virginia on Monday, Bloomberg said he agrees with Trump’s policy of putting pressure on China and his willingness to pursue diplomatic negotiations with North Korea.

“They will be the next super power to rival America and we have to stand up to that,” Bloomberg said, referring to China. He agrees with Trump’s approach of cracking down on Beijing’s lax intellectual property laws.

He also said that it is better to speak to North Korea than to ignore the isolated Asian nation, even if the talks do not produce an end result. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have met several times in the last two years to discuss a possible nuclear deal, although no concrete agreement has been achieved.

“A lot of criticisms of Donald Trump are not his policies, it’s the way he’s doing it,” Bloomberg said. In the past, Bloomberg has often been critical of Trump’s foreign policy.

In April 2018, Bloomberg said that Trump’s tariffs on China would “kill American jobs, slow innovation and strain U.S. ties globally.” Bloomberg has also called Trump’s approach to diplomacy “incompetent” and “counterproductive,” as it has alienated U.S. allies in Europe.

In addition, he has opposed Trump’s initiatives to cut foreign aid and wants the U.S. to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, which has been abandoned by the White House.

Bloomberg entered the presidential race in November and has spent more than $500 million on advertisements.

Long considered a moderate, Bloomberg is staking his candidacy on a strong Super Tuesday performance, but this may prove difficult, as the centrist wing of the Democratic party unites behind former Vice President Joe Biden.

Trump has frequently mocked Bloomberg, calling him "Mini Mike" due to his short stature. In response, Bloomberg has called Trump a "carnival barking clown."