Since former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivered a sharply anti-Trump speech at the Democratic convention on Wednesday, political observers have been waiting with bated breath for Trump to respond.
Bloomberg’s speech seemed uniquely tailored to get under Trump’s skin. He said Trump was a hypocrite and a con artist who’s also a terrible businessman, and even seemed to question his sanity.
Plus, Bloomberg is not only a fellow New Yorker but a far richer one than Trump — even according to Trump’s exaggerated reporting of his own fortune — so his criticism has to sting a guy who measures people’s self-worth by the size of their bank accounts.
Shockingly enough, Thursday came and went without the candidate tweeting angry insults at the former mayor. But finally, on Friday morning, Trump could remain silent no longer:
"Little" Michael Bloomberg, who never had the guts to run for president, knows nothing about me. His last term as Mayor was a disaster!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2016
If Michael Bloomberg ran again for Mayor of New York, he wouldn't get 10% of the vote - they would run him out of town! #NeverHillary
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2016
But not only is Trump’s "Little Michael Bloomberg" nickname an unoriginal repeat of his primary season attacks on Marco Rubio, his attacks on Bloomberg’s last term as mayor are completely contradicted by what he said at the time:
Mike Bloomberg is doing a great job as Mayor of New York City. Ray Kelly is a great Police Commissioner. @MikeBloomberg
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 16, 2012
Under Mayor @MikeBloomberg and Police Commissioner @Ray Kelly all violent crime in NYC is down dramatically. That's leadership.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 17, 2012
Keep in mind that this is just hours after Clinton suggested that Trump is so "easy" to bait that he shouldn’t be trusted with nuclear weapons. "He loses his cool at the slightest provocation," Clinton said. But as we’ve seen so often during this campaign, Trump can’t let a perceived insult stand without a crude, name-calling, misleading response.