Bloomberg: There's 'no way, no how' I will challenge Obama in 2012

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 7:23 AM on 13th December 2010

I've got a great job: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks to NBC's Meet The Press yesterday

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has insisted there is 'no way, no how' he will run for President in 2012.

Speaking on NBC's 'Meet the Press' yesterday, Mr Bloomberg said that he would be sticking with the elected office he holds.

'I'm not looking at the possibility of running,' he told host David Gregory. 'I've got a great job, and I'm gonna stay with it.'

The Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent, already a generous donor, has said philanthropy is in the cards once his third term as mayor ends.

Mr Bloomberg, who was re-elected in 2009 after persuading the City Council to change the term limits law for him, had explored the idea of running as a third-party candidate in the leadup to the 2008 election before eventually deciding against it.

But those denials come along with actions that keep him in the national spotlight. On December 8, he gave a campaign-style speech in Brooklyn in which he aired familiar complaints about partisan gridlock along with vague ideas to get more Americans working.

In an interview in the December issue of GQ magazine, the billionaire mayor criticized Mr Obama, saying he had broken campaign promises and needs better advisers.

In November, Mr Bloomberg said an independent has a better chance at succeeding in the White House than a Republican or a Democrat.

And on Monday, he was scheduled to speak on a panel at the launch of an organisation looking to court people from both major political parties to find common solutions to problems.

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