Bloomberg’s billboard on the Las Vegas Strip appeared Friday two miles down the strip from Trump’s own hotel, where he is staying while in the city, Agence France-Presse reported.
The sign cycled through multiple messages, two alleging political failures. “Donald Trump lost the popular vote,” said one, followed by “Donald Trump’s wall fell over”—a reference to the portion of the president’s controversial barrier with Mexico that collapsed in high winds last month.
Two other messages focused on the president’s personal foibles, reading, “Donald Trump cheats at golf” and “Donald Trump eats burnt steak.”
Bloomberg and Trump—both septuagenarian New York billionaires who have navigated the same social circles for decades—are already engaging in a vicious war of words. The president has dubbed his possible 2020 rival “Mini Mike,” while Bloomberg has made multiple digs about Trump’s appearance, intellect and popularity.
Bloomberg has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a massive advertising campaign to grow name recognition and propel himself into the running for the Democratic nomination.
He has largely aimed his attacks at Trump rather than the other Democratic hopefuls, and has cast himself as a tough-talker who can deal with the president’s combative style.
Bloomberg will enter the race on Super Tuesday on March 3. Despite his late entry to the race and his limited time on the campaign trail, Bloomberg is polling at around 17 percent among Democratic voters, according to Morning Consult.
The former New York mayor entered the fray Wednesday at the Democratic debate in Las Vegas and was savaged by his fellow contenders ahead of Saturday’s state caucuses, for which Sen. Bernie Sanders remains the frontrunner.
Bloomberg was unable to adequately answer questions on non-disclosure agreements signed by some of his female employees who alleged sexist misogynistic behavior, and struggled to defend controversial past comments and policies, for example stop and frisk in New York.
Trump was quick to brand his performance “the worst in the history of debates,” describing Bloomberg as “stumbling, bumbling and grossly incompetent.”
Bloomberg soon hit back on Twitter, suggesting their shared New York acquaintances “laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown… They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence.”
At a later campaign event in North Carolina, Bloomberg assured supporters, “I am not afraid of Donald Trump. Donald Trump is afraid of us and that’s why he keeps tweeting all the time. If he doesn’t mention you, you’ve got a big problem.”
