Michael Bloomberg to Run for President of the United States

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is preparing to enter the presidential race to become the Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential election, US media reported.

On Friday, Bloomberg filed paperwork to qualify for the presidential primary in Alabama, which has the earliest deadline of any state. He has still not announced his candidacy, Vox reported.

This move is the first clear sign that Bloomberg, long considered a possible candidate for US president, is preparing to stand against President Donald Trump.

Bloomberg, one of the richest people in the United States, has moved between the Republican and Democratic parties over the years and was also an independent mayor. He is seen as a centrist figure close to Wall Street who views Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, two of the leading Democratic candidates, as far-left.

His entry into the race would scatter an already crowded field of candidates, with 17 candidates currently vying for the right to stand against Trump as a Democratic nominee.