Michael Bloomberg said he fears a scenario where his candidacy leads to Donald Trump or Ted Cruz being elected. | Getty Michael Bloomberg won't mount a presidential bid The former mayor says the math doesn't add up for him, while bashing Trump and Cruz as dangerous for America. 
 
 Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on Monday that he will not mount a presidential run this year, saying he doesn't want to pave the way for Donald Trump or Ted Cruz to win the White House. 
 
 Bloomberg's decision to back away from an independent bid is a relief for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who could have seen support bleed over to Bloomberg in a three-way race. 
 
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 In an editorial he posted on Monday, Bloomberg said that if he had run, it was unlikely that any candidate would win a majority of electoral votes and that the responsibility of choosing the next president would be kicked to Congress. 
 
 "As the race stands now, with Republicans in charge of both Houses, there is a good chance that my candidacy could lead to the election of Donald Trump or Senator Ted Cruz. That is not a risk I can take in good conscience," Bloomberg said. 
 
 "We cannot 'make America great again' by turning our backs on the values that made us the world’s greatest nation in the first place. I love our country too much to play a role in electing a candidate who would weaken our unity and darken our future -- and so I will not enter the race for president of the United States." 
 
 Bloomberg, who served as mayor from 2002 through 2013, confirmed in early February that he was flirting with a presidential bid because he was unhappy with the extremes that had emerged this election cycle. 
 
 On Monday, he said he was not ready to endorse, but that he would remain involved in this political season. 
 
 "I will continue urging all voters to reject divisive appeals and demanding that candidates offer intelligent, specific and realistic ideas for bridging divides, solving problems, and giving us the honest and capable government we deserve," Bloomberg said. 
 
 Bloomberg, who has evolved from a Democrat to a Republican to an Independent, has staked out his more recent political posture by focusing on gun control through his advocacy group. 
 
 He said he was motivated to consider an independent bid not only because of Trump and Cruz but also because of Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who has pledged to break up Wall Street banks — a direct threat to his financial data and media empire. 
 
 Sanders said Monday that it was good another billionaire wasn't entering the race. "I think it's a bad idea for American democracy that the only people who feel in many ways that they can run for president are people who have so much money," he said during a Fox News town hall. 
 
 Clinton, also speaking at Fox's town hall, said she has the "greatest respect" for Bloomberg. "He has to make his own decisions," she said. "I look forward to continuing to work with him, and finding ways he can show leadership as he has done so well." 
 
 The former mayor and business titan was considering throwing $1 billion toward a presidential run and had set a March deadline for himself. The New York Times reported on Monday that Bloomberg was strongly considering Michael Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as his running mate before ultimately deciding there was no path for him. The window was also closing for Bloomberg to appear on the ballot in many states. 
 
 A recent analysis by veteran pollster Jan van Lohuizen concluded that an independent candidate would be “unlikely” to win the White House unless he or she was able to completely run the table in November. 
 
 Early polling also showed that Bloomberg suffered from a public perception problem. An Iowa poll conducted for Bloomberg Politics and The Des Moines Register in January found that just 17 percent of Democrats and only 9 percent of Republicans had a “favorable” view of the former mayor. 
 
 Howard Wolfson, a Democratic political strategist and counselor to Bloomberg, said on MSNBC on Monday afternoon that it's now clear Clinton will likely be the nominee and that while Bloomberg is a compelling candidate, he is "not compelling enough given the structural impediments against a third-party candidate.” 
 
 Bloomberg himself said that the math just didn’t add up for him. 
 
 “But when I look at the data, it’s clear to me that if I entered the race, I could not win. I believe I could win a number of diverse states -- but not enough to win the 270 Electoral College votes necessary to win the presidency,” he said. 
 
 Bloomberg did not mention Sanders in his editorial, but he took plenty of shots at Trump and Cruz. 
 
 “I have known Mr. Trump casually for many years, and we have always been on friendly terms. I even agreed to appear on ‘The Apprentice’ -- twice. But he has run the most divisive and demagogic presidential campaign I can remember, preying on people’s prejudices and fears,” Bloomberg said. “Abraham Lincoln, the father of the Republican Party, appealed to our ‘better angels.’ Trump appeals to our worst impulses.” 
 
 He added Cruz isn’t much better. 
 
 “Senator Cruz’s pandering on immigration may lack Trump’s rhetorical excess, but it is no less extreme. His refusal to oppose banning foreigners based on their religion may be less bombastic than Trump’s position, but it is no less divisive,” he said. 
 
 Eliza Collins contributed to this report. 
 
 Authors: ||||| Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire media owner and former New York mayor, has stated for the first time that he is considering a run to become US president, a move that would dramatically reshape the 2016 race for the White House. 
 
 Speaking to the Financial Times, the founder of the eponymous financial information group criticised the quality of the debate so far. He said ​he was “looking at all the options” when asked whether he was considering putting his name forward. 
 
 “I find the level of discourse and discussion distressingly banal and an outrage and an insult to the voters,” Mr Bloomberg said in an interview, before adding that the US public deserved “a lot better”. 
 
 His comments follow a New York Times report​ last month that said the billionaire had told advisers to draft a plan for a run as an independent candidate that could see him spending as much as $1bn of his​ estimated​ $39bn fortune. 
 
 The first confirmation by Mr Bloomberg, who has considered running for the Oval Office in previous elections, comes as Donald Trump, the bombastic billionaire running a populist​ campaign, dominates​ the Republicans’ race. The property mogul has a significant lead in polls ahead of Tuesday’s primary in New Hampshire. In the Democratic race, Senator Bernie Sanders, the self-declared socialist senator from Vermont, boasts a sizeable lead over Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state. 
 
 Mr Bloomberg told the FT that he would need to start putting his name on ballots across the US at the beginning of March. “I’m listening to what candidates are saying and what the primary voters appear to be doing,” he said. 
 
 His entry would radically affect the election, which has already been upended by the anti-establishment campaigns of Mr Trump and Mr Sanders. Many experts believe that Mr Bloomberg would help the Republican nominee by drawing more support from Democrats over Republicans because of his liberal stance on issues such as gun control and the environment. 
 
 Highlighting the steep climb that Mr Bloomberg ​would ​probably ​face, a poll conducted by his own news organisation and the Des Moines Register ahead of the Iowa caucuses found that only 9 per cent of Republicans had a favourable view of him, while 17 per cent of likely Democratic voters in the state ​had a favourable opinion. 
 
 Mr Trump ​has said he would be “very happy” if Mr Bloomberg entered the race, while Mr Sanders ​has ​criticised the prospect, saying it would confirm that the US was “moving away from democracy to oligarchy”. ​ 
 
 ​​Mr Bloomberg reportedly also has reservations about the campaign of Mrs Clinton, who has dismissed the threat of his possible candidacy by arguing that he would only ​enter ​the race if she was not the Democratic nominee. But the strong challenge being posed by Mr Sanders raises the chances that the Democratic nominee will not be chosen by early March, the point at which Mr Bloomberg would need to make a decision about entering. 
 
 While experts believe that an independent candidate would struggle in a system that is heavily skewed to favour those from the two ​main ​parties, the 2016 race has already proved the danger of ​accepting conventional wisdom. 
 
 A year ago, most ​experts predicted that the election would see Mrs Clinton face Jeb Bush, the former Republican governor of Florida, or Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor. But Mr Walker ​dropped out early, and Mr Bush is struggling to save his campaign as he languishes in fifth place in the New Hampshire polls after doing badly in Iowa. 
 
 The World Blog White House countdown: Bloomberg weighs his options Jumping into the 2016 race would radically alter an election that has already been completely upended by Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders 
 
 Mr Bloomberg was speaking as he launched the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, which was created to improve how companies report their exposure to climate change. He chairs the group, which was announced by Mark Carney, Financial Stability Board chief, at the recent climate change summit in Paris. 
 
 Mr Bloomberg has taken an increasingly hands-on role at his company since leaving the mayor’s office in 2014. 
 
 He had been expected to pursue his philanthropic endeavours, such as his work fighting climate change and his push for tighter gun control legislation. But the former mayor grew restless and went back to work full time at the company he co-founded in 1981. 
 
 His return was followed by upheaval in the upper echelons of the financial information company, with Dan Doctoroff, a long-time confidant, among the first to leave. 
 
 I’m listening to what candidates are saying and what the primary voters appear to be doing - Michael Bloomberg 
 
 Mr Doctoroff was Bloomberg’s chief executive, a role that Mr Bloomberg took himself. Several figures from the news and editorial side of the business have also left or stepped back, notably Matt Winkler, the bow tie-wearing father of the company’s news operation and Mr Bloomberg’s right-hand man for 25 years. He was replaced by John Micklethwait, editor of The Economist. 
 
 The shake-up in editorial came as part of a greater focus on the company’s data terminals. Bloomberg is facing new competitors on multiple fronts, notably Symphony, a messaging service owned by some of Wall Street’s biggest banks, and low-cost operators, such as Money.net. 
 
 The Cruz campaign welcomed the possible entry of Mr Bloomberg into the race. Rick Tyler, spokesman for Ted Cruz, said: “Please run!” 
 
 Brian Fallon, spokesman for the Clinton campaign, declined to comment, as did the Rubio campaign. 
 
 Michael Bloomberg urges companies to reveal climate change impact Companies must better explain to staff and investors how they are affected 
 
 At a Sanders rally in Derry, New Hampshire, supporters said Mr Bloomberg’s entry into the race was unlikely to change their vote. 
 
 Christopher Anderson, a 49-year-old art dealer who described himself an independent voter, said of Mr Bloomberg: “I don’t care for him. There’s not much difference between him and Hillary — they’re all in bed with Wall Street and big corporations.” 
 
 James Coll, s 43-year-old teacher in US history from New York, added: “If he runs as an independent, how would he govern after getting support from Democrats and Republicans?” 
 
 Additional reporting by Sebastian Payne in Derry, New Hampshire ||||| Michael R. Bloomberg has instructed advisers to draw up plans for a potential independent campaign in this year’s presidential race. His advisers and associates said he was galled by Donald J. Trump’s dominance of the Republican field, and troubled by Hillary Clinton’s stumbles and the rise of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on the Democratic side. 
 
 Mr. Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, has in the past contemplated running for the White House on a third-party ticket, but always concluded he could not win. A confluence of unlikely events in the 2016 election, however, has given new impetus to his presidential aspirations. 
 
 Mr. Bloomberg, 73, has already taken concrete steps toward a possible campaign, and has indicated to friends and allies that he would be willing to spend at least $1 billion of his fortune on it, according to people briefed on his deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss his plans. He has set a deadline for making a final decision in early March, the latest point at which advisers believe Mr. Bloomberg could enter the race and still qualify to appear as an independent candidate on the ballot in all 50 states. 
 
 He has retained a consultant to help him explore getting his name on those ballots, and his aides have done a detailed study of past third-party bids. Mr. Bloomberg commissioned a poll in December to see how he might fare against Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton, and he intends to conduct another round of polling after the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9 to gauge whether there is indeed an opening for him, according to two people familiar with his intentions.
– Is it finally Bloomberg time in America? After multiple false starts, sources tells the New York Times this could be the year former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg runs for president. Those close to the billionaire say he's discouraged by how the race is going so far and has concerns about Trump, Sanders, and Clinton. And he's asked his advisors to figure out plans for a 2016 presidential campaign. According to the Huffington Post, Bloomberg is the "sort of independent candidate for whom economic elites have long been clamoring": liberal on social issues and conservative on economics. Sources say Bloomberg would be willing to spend $1 billion of his own money on the race, and he's been studying past third-party campaigns and polling his popularity against Trump and Clinton, the Times reports. Bloomberg—a three-term mayor—considered presidential bids in 2008 and 2012, the New York Post reports. But he never pulled the trigger because he didn't think he could win, according to the Times. That could change this year, pitching himself as a "technocratic problem-solver and self-made businessman" against radical candidates. Sources say Bloomberg would likely run if it ends up being Trump or Cruz against Sanders. “Hillary is mainstream enough that Mike would have no chance, and Mike’s not going to go on a suicide mission,” says a friend and former DNC chairman. While Bloomberg would ideally steal votes from both sides, him running as an independent would be "a catastrophe for Democrats" of Nader-ian proportions, according to the Huffington Post. The Times reports Bloomberg will make a decision by March.