The New York Times reports:

The president’s focus on Mr. Bloomberg is not commensurate with the former mayor’s standing in the polls so far. Mr. Bloomberg is still below double digits in nearly every survey after spending more than $256 million on ads in less than two months.

Mr. Bloomberg has benefited, however, from being mostly ignored by his primary rivals, some of whom don’t want to elevate him in the race, but also don’t want to alienate him and his ability to support the Democratic nominee in the general election. And most Democratic strategists remain skeptical that a candidate who once supported aggressive policing policies, who has switched parties three times and who endorsed President George W. Bush in 2004 will be able to win the nomination.

From Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to Brad Parscale, his campaign manager, to his polling team and other advisers, the president has been told repeatedly that Mr. Bloomberg isn’t worth his attention.

Meanwhile, even for some Democratic observers who are uncomfortable with how much money Mr. Bloomberg is flooding into the system, there is a relief in watching the candidate get into Mr. Trump’s head in a way that few have.

“Trump fears Bloomberg because Bloomberg is actually the guy who Trump played on TV — a fantastically wealthy, self-made success with unlimited resources and a willingness to spend it,” said David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama. [Continue reading…]