From Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to Brad Parscale, his campaign manager, to his polling team and other advisers, the president has been told repeatedly that Mr. Bloomberg isn’t worth his attention. Meanwhile, even for some Democratic observers who are uncomfortable with how much money Mr. Bloomberg is flooding into the system, there is a relief in watching the candidate get into Mr. Trump’s head in a way that few have. “Trump fears Bloomberg because Bloomberg is actually the guy who Trump played on TV — a fantastically wealthy, self-made success with unlimited resources and a willingness to spend it,” said David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama. The Trump campaign played down any worries about Mr. Bloomberg. And officials have taken note that Mr. Bloomberg’s team is trying to mirror the Trump campaign’s playbook with online spending.

Source: New York Times January 23, 2020 22:58 UTC