Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg apologized to Sen. Cory Booker after referring to him as “well spoken” while talking about diversity in the Democratic primary.
While discussing his 2020 competitors, Bloomberg said, “Cory Booker endorsed me a number of times, and I endorsed Cory Booker a number of times. He’s very well spoken, he’s got some good ideas.”
The 77-year-old billionaire added, “It would be better the more diverse any group is, but the public is out there picking and choosing and narrowing down this field.”
This remark sparked outrage from many who felt it was a racist slight against Booker. They questioned whether Bloomberg would have made the remark about any white candidate.
Even Booker expressed his frustration, telling SiriusXM he was “taken aback” by the remark.
“It’s sort of stunning at times that we are still revisiting these sort of tired, you know, tropes or the language we have out there that folks I don’t think understand. And the fact that they don’t understand is problematic,” Booker said.
Bloomberg apologized for his remark Friday afternoon, saying, “I probably shouldn’t have used the word, but I could just tell you he is a friend of mine. He is a Rhodes Scholar, which is much more impressive than my academic background. I envy him.”
Bloomberg’s remark triggered flashbacks of a similar statement his 2020 competitor Joe Biden used about then-candidate Barack Obama in 2007.
“I mean, you got the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” Biden, 77, said in an interview at the time. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”
Biden also later apologized for his statement about Obama.
Bloomberg officially entered the Democratic presidential primary in late November. He claimed he entered the race because none of the candidates, including Biden, could beat Trump.
