With the election of 2020 looming in the near future, the American people continue to ponder the questions of candidacy. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg arrived at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College to discuss his new book titled Climate of Hope. However, despite the plan to promote and discuss the topics of his book, many local officials attended with the hope of Bloomberg addressing the possibility of a potential presidential candidacy.

While heavily addressing the topic of climate change and calling for action from public officials, the former Mayor also called for the acknowledgment of “challenges like making healthcare more affordable” and “stopping the opioid crisis that is tearing so many families and communities apart”.

These other heavily debated topics were not as emphasized as Bloomberg’s stance on climate change. While discussing his book Bloomberg stated that efforts against climate change are not enough. When referencing the Paris Climate Agreement he said, “given the latest scientific reports, I think it’s clear that our Paris commitment should be viewed as the bare minimum of what we are doing.”

Although Bloomberg’s political affiliation has fluctuated over the past decade as he switched from being recognized as a Republican (2001-2007) to an Independent (2007-2018), and now a Democrat, he refers to the government shutdown as an “utter failure of leadership” and hopes to see strong political leadership in the upcoming election.

He said, “Whether I run for president or not, I will work to ensure that fighting climate change and spurring economic development in areas that have depended on fossil fuels is a top priority for the Democratic nominee.”

With all of these statements in mind, Bloomberg gave no indication as to whether he would actually be running in the 2020 presidential election or not. His references to the current government is the only hint that there might be a potential candidacy in Bloomberg’s future.

After a forty-five minute speech promoting his recent publication, as well as a discussion of the current governance of the United States, Bloomberg agreed to take several questions from the audience in attendance.

When asked about how government officials can confront foreign nations to try and convince them to convert to more environmentally friendly energy options Bloomberg said “no government exists without the will of the majority of the people….we need to show that we can do it, and we are better off because of it.”

Even though Bloomberg’s speech did not explicitly reveal any information about the upcoming election, one can infer that his opinions about the current government might be the inspiration behind a possible candidacy. Testing the political climate in important states is also a common move by potential candidates, which is also a possible motivator for Bloomberg’s visit to the Institute of Politics. However, the only way to determine Bloomberg’s true intentions is by waiting for the coming election to take place.