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Bloomberg: 'I am the un-Trump'

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg declared war on President Donald Trump on Thursday, calling him a "schoolyard bully" who needs to be removed from the White House for the good of the nation.

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By
Matthew Burns
, WRAL.com senior producer/politics editor, & Adam Owens, WRAL anchor/reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg declared war on President Donald Trump on Thursday, calling him a "schoolyard bully" who needs to be removed from the White House for the good of the nation.

"I am running to defeat Donald Trump," Bloomberg told a cheering crowd in Raleigh. "I am running to restore honor to our government. ... We're here to build a country we can be proud of and to get things done and do it in a united way, and that's what we're going to do. We've got to put 'united' back into United States."

Bloomberg swung through North Carolina, making stops in Greensboro and Winston-Salem earlier in the day, as early voting for the state's March 3 primaries opened.

"We all know Trump is a bully, but I know how to deal with bullies," he said. "I come from New York just like him, and I'm not afraid of Donald Trump, and he knows it. That's why he keeps tweeting about me."

Bloomberg is staking his campaign on "Super Tuesday" states like North Carolina after skipping early contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

He outlined his plans to expand health care coverage, make the U.S. a leader in battling climate change, creating a path to citizenship for people in the country illegally and passing gun safety laws, among other priorities.

"I am the un-Trump," he said, citing his stark differences with the president.

But he also noted his record as mayor of New York shows he can accomplish what he sets out to do. In 12 years as mayor, he said, his administration raised teacher salaries and high school graduation rates and cut the murder rate, homelessness and the number of uninsured.

Democrats need to build a coalition to take down Trump, Bloomberg said, noting that divisions between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in 2016 handed the president his victory.

"This is not an election we can afford to lose," he said. "This is a national emergency, because I don't think we can last for another four years with Donald Trump."

Bloomberg isn't the only presidential candidate visiting North Carolina.

Trump was in Charlotte last week, and Sanders, who won the New Hampshire Democratic primary on Tuesday, has rallies in Durham and Charlotte scheduled for Friday.
Valerie Biden Owens, the sister of former Vice President Joe Biden, who has finished back in the pack in Iowa and New Hampshire, also was swinging through North Carolina on Thursday, with events in Charlotte, Greensboro and Cary.

"North Carolina is the ninth-largest state in the country, which means we have the ninth-largest number of delegates. So that is why we are seeing all the candidates target North Carolina either in advertising, public appearances or both," said David McLennand, a political science professor at Meredith College in Raleigh.

A poll conducted by High Point University has Sanders and Biden as the front-runners in North Carolina among those who are likely to vote in the Democratic primary.

"There is a lot of fluidity in this race,” McLennan said, noting a larger number of voters haven't yet made up their minds.

Bob Reardon counts himself among that number, even though he was at Bloomberg's rally.

“We are not totally decided, but we are here, and it is getting close," Reardon said.

"I think North Carolina will help clarify for the Democrats what their field is going to look like," McLennan said.

"To win in November, our party need to win North Carolina," Bloomberg said.

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