Video From 2019 Shows Bloomberg Calling Trans Women 'Some Guy In A Dress'

Billionaire and presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg can’t seem to escape controversy lately, as a newly surfaced video shows the former New York City mayor referring to transgender women as “it.” Recorded in 2019, the video shows Bloomberg advising Democrats to avoid talking about transgender and LGBTQ issues when running against President Donald Trump in 2020.

“If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether he, she or it can go to the locker room with their daughter, that’s not a winning formula for most people,” Bloomberg said.

The video was recording during Bloomberg’s attendance at a forum in New York City sponsored by the Bermuda Business Development Agency on March 21, 2019.

In 2016, the former mayor made strikingly similar comments about transgender women while speaking at Oxford University in England. A video of Bloomberg’s remarks was discovered earlier this month; in it, he can be heard making similar arguments about how transgender issues won’t appeal to Midwest voters.

The video resurfaced alongside the release of a new advertisement from Bloomberg’s campaign. In it, Bloomberg is touted as an advocate for LGBTQ rights and issues.

Since throwing his hat into the ring, Bloomberg has struggled with controversy. More recently, though, a bevy of controversial past statements and actions have risen to the public’s attention, with his remarks on transgender women being only the latest.

In recent weeks, Bloomberg has come under heavy criticism over comments made defending the controversial practice of “stop and frisk” policing in 2005. In the recording, the former mayor argues that while the policy can encourage racial profiling, ultimately it is effective.

More recently, a collection of quotes made by Bloomberg has also emerged. It features an assortment of crude and misogynistic remarks; in one instance, he reportedly told a pregnant employee to “kill” her unborn child.

Despite his late entry in the race, Bloomberg has risen swiftly in the polls and is now currently sitting in second place. On Wednesday, Bloomberg will be making his debate debut, facing off against his fellow Democratic presidential nomination hopefuls for the first time in Nevada.