TV-Watching Trump Increasingly Affected By Bloomberg's Ad Blitz

For those working on President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, the volatility of the Democrats’ nomination process has been seen generally as a good omen so far. But there are signs that the president is becoming increasingly concerned about the aggressive advertising spending being undertaken by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign.

A report from Politico shows that Bloomberg’s advertising blitz – which has already included more than $250 million in spending in his campaign for the Democratic nomination – might be getting under Trump’s skin. According to insiders, Trump spends much of his day watching news programs, and it is during these shows that Bloomberg’s ad spots frequently appear. One insider said that the president has seemed particularly focused on the former mayor since January, often discussing Bloomberg’s growing campaign staff and ad spending.

Both men notably went head to head earlier this month when each spent $10 million on advertising time during the Super Bowl.

Some of those who spoke with Politico said Trump’s increasingly paying attention to Bloomberg not because he’s worried about him as a political opponent, but because “he’s very reactive to what he sees [on TV] and the fact that Bloomberg’s ads are all over.”

Another insider said that Bloomberg’s massive campaign spending, which is coming entirely out of his own pocket, is troubling Trump “for obvious reasons.”

Trump was reportedly especially unhappy after his former Navy secretary, Richard Spencer, announced his support for Bloomberg last Friday. In his statement of endorsement, Spencer said that Bloomberg would listen to and respect his military staff as president while repairing the United States’ reputation around the world, a clear dig at Trump’s foreign policies.

Trump’s fixation on Bloomberg hasn’t remained private, however, as the president has increased his attacks on the presidential hopeful. On Twitter and in interviews, Trump has more recently mocked Bloomberg’s height, nicknaming him “Mini Mike” and suggesting that he would have to stand on a box if he qualified for the next Democratic debate. Bloomberg is 5 feet and 8 inches in height.

The president’s concerns about Bloomberg might also be due in part to recent debate rule changes made by the Democratic National Committee, which no longer requires candidates to meet a fundraising threshold in order to participate – removing the previous barrier to Bloomberg’s participation, as he is entirely self-funded. He will still have to achieve at least 10 percent in national polling, which he has not yet done.