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Billionaire Michael Bloomberg tells Dublin crowd of the two sides to Donald Trump
Donald Trump, Brexit and the on-going conflict in the Middle East topped the agenda as billionaire media baron Michael Bloomberg chaired a global conference in Dublin this week.
A former mayor of New York, Mr Bloomberg, jetted into the capital to officially open his media agency's new offices at One Charlemont Square. And the real estate investor sat down for an in-depth chat with Minister for Finance Paschal Donohue on his whistle-stop visit to the city.
Bloomberg, whose moniker is synonymous with the world of financial media, spoke about the fiscal situation on both sides of the Atlantic saying Donald Trump and Brexit and now the war in the Middle East have been a cause of massive disruption. Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump in 2024. Pic: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Speaking at the packed conference Mr Bloomberg said America is now in a difficult situation in terms of its international relations following the bombing of nuclear sites in Iran, which had surprised him as much as anyone.
'America has spent the last 70 years trying to build relationships with other countries – and we benefit, and those other countries all benefit, and here we're throwing away a lot of that, which I can't explain,' said Mr Bloomberg.
'But that's what the [US] administration is doing, and I was not a supporter of this administration, although I've known Donald Trump for 30-40 years. When I was mayor of New York he was a real estate developer in the city, and only went bankrupt six times.' Michael Bloomberg speaking at the Bloomberg Future of Finance event in Ireland.
Mr Bloomberg went on to detail two sides to Trump – one in which you can have a cordial relationship and see the President as a 'pleasant guy', while also seeing a side that you vehemently disagree with.
'If you sat and had dinner with him, you'd walk away saying 'yeah, I had a good time.' Having said that, I don't agree with his policies at all. '
The businessman stressed, however, that he is careful to ensure that Bloomberg news service has the same number of conservatives and liberals on its editorial staff. He has not visited the White House, as he doesn't want anybody to say that 'we're kissing the ring'. Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump in 2003. Pic: Djamilla Rosa Cochran/WireImage
He further stressed that he wanted his news service to stay politely impartial saying; 'because I think that's what our customers want, and that's what the world deserves from a news organisation.'
On his news agency's growth in Europe, Mr Bloomberg says he believes Ireland has the potential for exponential growth.
'We have 150 people in our office here now, and it's growing. We're looking for another 25 people, probably mostly in engineering.'
He also commented on Ireland's recent economic success, saying that in his estimation the country had benefited from Brexit, which he described as 'the single stupidest thing any country has ever done, and it's hard to believe how they did it'.
