Judge Judy issues opinion on 2020 race, backs Bloomberg’s presidential bid

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday received a glowing judgment from the presiding judge of TV’s most popular courtroom: Judith Sheindlin, aka “Judge Judy,” who threw her support behind his White House bid.

“I like to say you can judge someone’s character by what they’ve done. Mike Bloomberg has done amazing things and will be a truly great president,” Sheindlin said in a new campaign ad. “No one comes close to Mike Bloomberg’s executive achievement, government experience, and impactful philanthropy.”

“His steady leadership will unite our country and bring us through these very challenging times.”

The 30-second ad, titled “Judge Him,” features Sheindlin, a New York native who has become a television icon due to her long-running daytime court show. The spot is slated to run “across digital channels and in relevant broadcast programming across 26 states,” according to a press release issued by Bloomberg’s campaign.

Speaking with CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Monday evening, Sheindlin declined to elaborate on “what’s wrong with this President, because I want to change the emphasis.”

“I like somebody in Washington who is not divisive, and I think there’s enough blame to go around after the November ’16 election,” she continued, adding that “it was a little bit of everybody’s fault.”

Sheindlin suggested that while President Donald Trump had not de-escalated lingering tensions from the 2016 election, Democrats had not reacted well or prepared for a future face-off.

“I do think that the President had the capacity to calm down the rhetoric,” she said, adding that “many people were disappointed on that election night in November, and some, other than the President, reacted, I think, badly.”

She continued, “The last three years should have been spent finding the best possible candidate to run against him. If you lose a race, you’re supposed to spend the next couple of years training for that race.”

The Bloomberg campaign said Sheindlin has never before endorsed a presidential candidate but was “outspoken” in her support for the former mayor prior to his late entry to the race. In a USA Today op-ed penned in October, the judge touted Bloomberg’s business experience and focus on climate change and gun control, among other things.

“We need a no-nonsense president who’s sane, competent and honest, someone who can’t be bought and has no skin in the game,” she wrote in the piece.

Bloomberg, a moderate who entered the race in November, has cast himself as a problem solver on the campaign trail. Since announcing his run, the billionaire has focused on expensive ad buys and building a robust general election operation with top political strategists.