Faceplant: Michael Bloomberg Will 'Address the Nation' Tonight to Reassure Americans about Coronavirus; Here's a Sneak Preview

Democratic presidential candidates, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, raises his hand during the Democratic presidential primary debate at the Gaillard Center, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, in Charleston, S.C., co-hosted by CBS News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Michael Bloomberg will deliver a three-minute prime-time address to the nation on Sunday evening. The prerecorded message, entitled “Leadership in Crisis,” will air at 8:30 pm on NBC and CBS. He has purchased three-minute segments on each network.

The Bloomberg campaign sent out a copy of the video in a press release on Saturday. It has been posted on YouTube and can be viewed below.

The campaign wants you to know that “Mike Bloomberg has the experience to handle the coronavirus outbreak,” because he has led before during times of crisis.

He starts off by saying, “At times like this, it is the job of the President to reassure the public that he or she is taking all the steps necessary to protect the health and well-being of every citizen.”

So, why then, are you doing it?

He continues, “The public wants to know their leader is trained, informed and respected. When a problem arises, they want someone in charge who can marshal facts and expertise to confront the problem.”

The former mayor sounds as if he’s reading out of a government manual on steps to take in the event of a pandemic. Bloomberg doesn’t say if he would do anything differently. He doesn’t present any new, untried solutions. Nor does he actually come out and say the President is mishandling the coronavirus situation, but for what other purpose would one create this?

All presidential candidates try to appear as “presidential” as they can I suppose. At a 2008 campaign event, candidate Barack Obama stood before a podium which featured a faux presidential seal on its face. But they must be careful not to cross the line into presumptuousness.

I think Bloomberg is straddling that line with this message.

I wonder what Trump’s response to this stunt will be.