Michael Bloomberg
Michael BloombergReuters

Former New York City Mayor and Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg declared over the weekend that he is willing to invest his entire fortune in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump in this November’s general election.

Bloomberg, one of the top-ten richest people in the US with an estimated $56 billion net worth, told Reuters Saturday that he is prepared to part with his fortune in order to “get rid of Trump”.

“Number one priority is to get rid of Donald Trump. I’m spending all my money to get rid of Trump,” Bloomberg said on his campaign bus Saturday. “Do you want me to spend more or less? End of story.”

Bloomberg, a former Republican who later registered as an independent until 2018, touted his electability in a general election in comparison to more ideological Democratic rivals, saying his ability to defeat Trump would ultimately draw primary voters to his camp.

“One of the reasons I’m reasonably confident I could beat Trump is I would be acceptable to the moderate Republicans you have to have.”

“Whether you like it or not, you can’t win the election unless you get moderate Republicans to cross the line. The others are much too liberal for them and they would certainly vote for Donald Trump.”

Bloomberg, a late entry into the Democratic field, is currently polling in fifth place with an average of 5.8% in national Democratic primary polls according to the RealClearPolitics rolling average of polls.

But the former mayor has had more difficulty gaining traction in key early states.

He’s polling at just 0.5% on average in the Iowa caucus, behind virtually the entire Democratic field, and won’t even be on the ballot for the New Hampshire primary.

In Nevada, Bloomberg is averaging under one percent; with poll numbers only slightly better in South Carolina, where he is in eighth place with 2.5% according to the RCP average.

With his own massive fortune available to fund his campaign, however, Bloomberg will be able to continue his bid beyond the early voting states – and after many of his competitors have dropped out of the race.