“Our normal election timeline really has to be shifted forward, given there’s going to be so much early voting,” she said. Some Bloomberg allies suggested that he had simply decided that Mr. Biden didn’t need his assistance, given the former vice president’s lead in the polls and the increasing strength of his fund-raising operation, which has at times outpaced Mr. Trump’s. Indeed, asked in January about his potential future support of the Democratic nominee — as he indicated a willingness to open his wallet to whomever the party chose — Mr. Bloomberg implied that he would calibrate his giving. Stephanie Cutter, the convention’s program executive, said Mr. Biden wanted Mr. Bloomberg to speak specifically about the state of the economy. “Mayor Bloomberg worked with Joe Biden during the economic recovery 10 years ago and saw firsthand Biden’s ability to move the country out of this crisis,” Ms. Cutter said.

Source: New York Times August 20, 2020 07:00 UTC