The Hillary Clinton campaign is leaning on New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg Wednesday night to tear down a different New York billionaire that she will face in November.
The primetime slot for Bloomberg, a political independent, at the Democratic National Convention is part of a Clinton strategy to focus on wary Republicans and independent voters.
Bloomberg is aiming to speak to independents, moderates and swing voters with his speech on why Americans should support Hillary Clinton, according to advisers.
“As one of America’s business leaders, Bloomberg has become increasingly concerned about what a Trump presidency would mean for our economy. He will lay out why voters cannot trust Trump to ensure our economic future,” an adviser said.
Advisers would not say how much to expect him to focus in his speech on pushing Clinton versus criticizing Trump.
Bloomberg will join a long list of Democratic leaders and liberal activists making the case that Clinton is the most experienced candidate for the White House.
But Bloomberg’s expected assault on Trump from the Democratic stage marks a somewhat novel approach from the Clinton campaign as they look to expand the week’s narrative from deep-blue pitches from Democratic giants like first lady Michelle Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
Speeches throughout the week have been a mix of deeply emotional discussions highlighting the history of Clinton’s nomination to a lengthy, personal talk from Bill Clinton that sought to soften her image.
Bloomberg’s pitch is unusual, not coming from a party stalwart — he used to be a Democrat before becoming a Republican and then an independent.
One of his advisers said to expect the former New York mayor to particularly focus his remarks on independents, telling CNN, “He will call on independent voters to stand up, be counted and support Hillary Clinton.”
Bloomberg first won the mayor’s office as a Republican but has often stood with Democrats — focusing much of his efforts since leaving office on gun control and fighting climate change.
Bloomberg once considered an independent bid for the White House himself, calling the national debate in February “banal.” Bloomberg, who is worth more than Trump by his own company’s estimates, would have likely self-funded a bid, but he ultimately decided against it.
