Bloomberg Ambushed By Democrats From Start of Debate: ‘Throwing 5 Million Black Men Up Against a Wall’

No rational person expected a friendly welcome to former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg at Wednesday’s Democratic presidential primary debate, but the first few minutes featured the billionaire in the hot seat as his rival candidates all focused their fire on him.

Recent polling has shown growing momentum behind Bloomberg, so it was natural that he would be a target.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is also enjoying a strong showing in the polls and early primary states, got in the first blow, attacking Bloomberg for the “stop and frisk” policing, which Sanders described as “going after” minorities “in an outrageous way.”

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren then raised her hand and went straight for the jugular, directly connecting Bloomberg to his fellow billionaire New Yorker, President Donald Trump.

“Democrats take a huge risk if we just substitute one arrogant billionaire for another,” said Warren, noting that Bloomberg had called women “fat broads and horse faced lesbians,” and also “has a history of hiding his tax returns, of harassing women, and of supporting racist policies like red lining and stop and frisk.”

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar also focused on the characterization of Bloomberg as an arrogant billionaire, noting that while it was good he was on the debate stage, and not still “hiding behind his TV ads,” she took issue with his expectation that they should “pave the way for him to be the nominee,” citing a Bloomberg campaign staff memo that suggested that three of the current candidates should drop out immediately and “get out of the way” for him.

“I’ve been told many times to wait my turn and to step aside,” said Klobuchar, “and I’m not going to to do that now…I think we need something different than Donald Trump. I don’t think you look at Donald Trump and say, we need somebody richer in the White House.”

Bloomberg got a chance to defend himself, saying he had been a great “manager” as the mayor of a “complicated, diverse city.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden disagreed with Bloomberg’s claimed managerial skills. “The fact of the matter is, he has not managed his city very well when he was there. He didn’t get a lot done. He has stop and frisk, throwing close to 5 million young black men up against a wall.”

The challenges Bloomberg would face unifying the party concerned former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, calling Bloomberg along with Sanders “the two most polarizing figures on this stage.”

“Let’s put forward someone who’s actually a Democrat,” said Buttigieg. “Look, we shouldn’t have to choose between one candidate who wants to burn this party down and another candidate who wants to buy this party out.”

Watch the video above, via MSNBC.