Sanders, for his part, said that Bloomberg's 'racist' policies of the past also prevent him from building a winning Democratic coalition

Bloomberg made his debate debut by calling Sanders un-electable, and that if he is the candidate 'we will have Donald Trump for another four years and we can't stand that'

Warren hit the former mayor even harder when it came to his refusal to release women from the nondisclosure agreements with his company regarding complaints of a hostile working environment

She added: 'I'll support whoever the Democratic nominee is. But understand this, Democrats take a huge risk if we just substitute one arrogant billionaire for another'


WHO'S ON STAGE From the left: Mike Bloomberg Elizabeth Warren Bernie Sanders Joe Biden Pete Buttigieg Amy Klobuchar Advertisement

The 2020 Democratic hopefuls welcomed Mike Bloomberg to the debate stage Wednesday by pummeling him with punches.

After the sparring match, Bloomberg was declared the loser of the Democratic debate after Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders relentlessly attacked the former New York mayor over his past 'racist' policies and treatment of women.

It was Warren - and not Sanders - who landed the opening jab, quoting Trump-ish comments the billionaire candidate had made about women in the past.

Warren, focused on Bloomberg's previous comments, said: 'I'd like to talk about who we're running against, a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians. And no I'm not talking about Donald Trump, I'm talking about Mayor Bloomberg'.

Warren hit the former mayor even harder when it came to his refusal to release women from nondisclosure agreements with his company, regarding complaints of a hostile working environment.

Bloomberg said that at his company if anybody does anything wrong, 'we investigate it and if it's appropriate, they're gone that day.' He also talked about the many women in power in the Bloomberg organization.

Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg took to the debate stage for the first time. From left: Michael Bloomberg, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar

Ahead of the debate, several Democrats suggested taking on Bloomberg, a former Republican and an ex- New York City mayor, is good practice before getting to President Donald Trump , a Republican and a former New Yorker, in the general election

Sen. Elizabeth Warren - and not Sen. Bernie Sanders - landed the opening punch on former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the newcomer to the Democratic debate stage Wednesday night in Las Vegas

Warren accused Bloomberg of calling women 'fat broads' and horse-faced lesbians' and warned that Democrats would be taking 'a huge risk if we just substitute one arrogant billionaire for another'

During the debate, Sanders (pictured with Warren) said that Bloomberg's 'racist' policies of the past also prevent him from building a winning Democratic coalition

After the debate, US President Donald Trump chimed in to call Bloomberg 'stumbling', 'bumbling', and 'grossly incompetent'

'I heard you heard what his defense was: 'I've been nice to some women,'' Warren shot back. 'That just doesn't cut it. The mayor has to stand on his record. What we need to know is exactly what's lurking out there.'

She asked how many NDAs were out there.

'We have a very few nondisclosure agreements,' Bloomberg responded.

But Warren wouldn't let up, demanding to know 'how many is that?'

'None of them accuse me of doing anything other than maybe they didn't like a joke I told,' Bloomberg said as the audience gasped.

Donald Trump calls 'Mini' Mike Bloomberg's 'bumbling' debate performance the 'worst in history' and warns 'if this doesn't knock him out, nothing will' President Trump was quick to take to Twitter on Wednesday night where he criticized former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg's performance during his first Democratic debate. 'Mini Mike Bloomberg's debate performance tonight was perhaps the worst in the history of debates, and there have been some really bad ones,' Trump tweeted. 'He was stumbling, bumbling and grossly incompetent. If this doesn't knock him out of the race, nothing will. Not so easy to do what I did!' The President also lambasted Bloomberg while at an Arizona campaign rally. 'I hear he is getting pounded tonight,' Trump said as he spoke while the debate was in progress. Later in the rally, speaking of Bernie Sanders, Trump asked the crowd: 'How's he doing tonight?' The president also repeated some of his tweets mocking Bloomberg's height during the rally. 'He spent $500 million so far, and I think he has 15 points,' Trump said as he attempted to downplay the prospect of being outspent by the billionaire. 'My father would teach me if you can spend less and win, that's better than spending a lot.' Trump finished his speech in Phoenix just as Democrats were wrapping up their debate in Las Vegas. Advertisement

Bloomberg stood his ground, even with Joe Biden also asserted himself.

'Let's get something straight here. It's easy. All the mayor has to do is say you are released from the nondisclosure agreement, period,' the former vice president said.

Bloomberg said he would not.

There have been reports of several lawsuits that accuse Bloomberg of making crude comments in the 1990s and creating an uncomfortable work environment for women. He has denied the allegations.

And his campaign fired off a response during the debate back-and-forth, noting the names of women who have endorsed Bloomberg and saying any large company was going to have complaints.

While his fellow Democrats laid into him, away from the debate, President Trump took to Twitter to give his two cents, saying he was 'stumbling', 'bumbling', and 'grossly incompetent' in his debut Democratic showdown.

The next weapon for the challengers was that Bloomberg is very rich.

The ex-mayor, who's worth $61 million, said billionaires like him deserve to exist.

'Yes,' Bloomberg answered point-blank. 'I worked very hard for it.'

Sanders had suggested that Bloomberg's wealth was a policy failure, with rich donors pushing lawmakers to allow for the tax code to tilt toward billionaires, while other Americans are living on the streets.

'I can't speak for all billionaires, all I know is I've been very lucky, made a lot of money and I'm giving it all away to make this country better,' Bloomberg said. 'A good chunk of it goes to the Democratic Party as well,' he added.

Bloomberg chided Warren and Sanders over the anti-wealth talk.

'We're not going to throw out capitalism. We tried that. Other countries tried that, it was called "communism" and it just doesn't work,' Bloomberg argued.

Sanders raged back that he wasn't a 'communist,' calling the comment a 'cheap shot.'

Things got even more heated when Bloomberg pointed out the Vermont senator's own wealth and property holdings.

'What a wonderful country we have. The best known socialist in the country happens to be a millionaire with three houses,' Bloomberg said.

The former mayor answered, 'New York City, thank you very much.'

'And I pay all my taxes and I'm happy to do it because I get something for it,' Bloomberg added.

Over the course of the debate, Bloomberg also told the candidates he would release his tax returns.

'I can't go to TurboTax,' he said, blaming his immense wealth for the delay.

Amy Klobuchar jumped in at that point, pleading for transparency.

'It is a major issue because the president of the United States has been hiding behind his tax returns even when courts order him to come forward with those tax returns,' she said.

Bloomberg (pictured far right on stage) made his debate debut by calling Sanders un-electable, saying: 'if he is the candidate we will have Donald Trump for another four years and we can't stand that'

Michael Bloomberg on the debate stage, who also took fire from Bernie Sanders

Amy Klobuchar (pictured with Pete Buttigieg) was shredded by Warren for 'writing two sentences' in which she laid out her plans around healthcare

Sanders took a swipe at Buttigieg on the debate stage, saying the 38-year-old former South Bend mayor uses money from billionaires to fund his campaign

Sanders addressed the US' high healthcare costs by name-checking several countries that have implemented universal healthcare planes

Mike Bloomberg is declared the LOSER of the Democratic debate after his disastrous start and relentless attacks - while Warren and Sanders come away the winners Mike Bloomberg has been declared the loser of Democratic debate after Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders relentlessly attacked the former New York mayor over his past 'racist' policies and treatment of women. Six candidates took the stage Wednesday night in Las Vegas to face-off for a 5-to-1 face-off that ended disastrously for Bloomberg. Pundits chose Bloomberg as the loser after he became the object of scorn, ridicule and contempt within the first five minutes of the debate. What is becoming an increasingly bitter nomination fight, the Democratic presidential candidates focused their attacks on Bloomberg on the debate stage. He has spent more than $400million so far on advertising that in turn has given him strong standing in state and national polls. Sanders recalled Bloomberg's support of stop-and-frisk policing targeting minorities while Warren spoke about how Bloomberg had mocked women. 'I'd like to talk about who we're running against, a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians,' Warren said. 'And no I'm not talking about Donald Trump, I'm talking about Mayor Bloomberg.' Amy Klobuchar also quipped that, 'I don't think you look at Donald Trump and say I think we need someone richer in the White House'. Former Vice President Joe Biden said Bloomberg condoned racist police practices, and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, said Bloomberg was trying to 'buy out' the Democratic Party. But his biggest struggle came when Warren hammered him over allegations of sexism and mistreatment of women in his company. Bloomberg attempted to defend his record and deflect the attacks on him by turning them into attacks on President Donald Trump. And he effectively raised questions about whether Americans would embrace a socialist like Sanders. But the glare was harsh, and the attacks landed with force. Even if you are worth $60billion it is hard to win a 5-on-1 fight. CNN's Chris Cillizza said the 'first hour of the debate was an absolute and total disaster for the former mayor'. 'He looked lost at times - and those were the best times for him! Warren dunked on him repeatedly. Sanders slammed him. Biden bashed him,' Cillizza wrote. Cillizza compared Bloomberg's performance to that of a pro-wrestling match where 'everyone decided to gang up on a single wrestler in the ring - and that wrestler was totally and completely caught off-guard'. Advertisement

At issue in all the bickering between the Democrats was electability.

Bloomberg made his debate debut by calling Sanders un-electable.

'I don't think there's any chance of the senator beating President Trump. You don't start out by saying I've got 160 million people, I'm going to take away the insurance plan that they love. That's just not the way that you go and start building coalitions that the Sanders camp thinks they can do.'

'I don't think there's any chance, whatsoever, and if he goes and is the candidate we will have Donald Trump for another four years and we can't stand that.'

Sanders, for his part, said that Bloomberg's 'racist' policies of the past also prevent him from building a winning Democratic coalition.

'In order to beat Donald Trump we're going to need the largest voter turnout in the history of the United States. Mr. Bloomberg had policies in New York City of stop and frisk, which went after African-American and Latino people in outrageous ways, that is not a way you can grow voter turnout,' Sanders argued.

Warren piggybackeed on this point, but made it about the women 'being muzzled' by Bloomberg's company.

'This is also a question about electability,' she said, arguing that the Democrats won't beat Trump with a man who doesn't know how many NDAs are out there lurking. 'And the drip, drip, drip of stories of women saying they have been harassed and discriminated against.'

Warren also warned that Democrats are not going to win against President Trump 'if we have a nominee who has a history of hiding his tax returns, of supporting racist policies like red-lining and stop and frisk.'

Buttigieg inserted himself as the smart choice between two extremes.

'We've got to wake up as a party. We could wake up two weeks from today, the day after Super Tuesday, and the only candidates left standing will be Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg, the two most polarizing figures on this stage,' Buttigieg said.

'And most Americans don't see where they fit if they've got to choose between a socialist who thinks that capitalism is the root of all evil and a billionaire who thinks that money ought to be the root of all power,' he added.

Sanders then slammed the 38-year-old mayor, as he's filled his campaign coffers from money from billionaires.

'We are saying, Pete, is maybe it's time for the working class of this country to have a little bit of power in Washington rather than your billionaire campaign contributors,' Sanders said.

Klobuchar has positioned herself as the more experienced moderate in comparison to Buttigieg, boasting that she's been playing 'in the arena' while he's only been a mayor of a small town.

But she got caught off-guard when a debate moderator asked her to explain how she was able to be president when she couldn't recall the name of the president of Mexico.

The candidates, from left: Michael Bloomberg, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar

Warren took a heavy hit at Bloomberg, addressing the non-disclosure agreements some women who have worked for him had signed after alleging the former New York mayor acted inappropriately

Warren kept the aggressive stance she began in the debate by pivoting from attacking Bloomberg to hitting her other Democratic rivals on their healthcare plans

Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks with 38-year-old former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg

The Democratic Debate was held in the Paris Theater in Las Vegas, where a packed audience turned out to see the presidential candidates go head-to-head

Buttigieg used the moment to pounce.

'You are staking your candidacy on your Washington experience. You're on the committee that oversees border security, you're on the committee that does trade. You're literally in the part of the committee that's overseeing these things,' Buttigieg said.

Klobuchar wasn't pleased.

'Are you mocking me here, Pete? I said I made a mistake,' Klobuchar shot back.

At another point in the debate she went at Buttigieg again.

'I wish everyone was as perfect as you, Pete,' Klobuchar said, saying Buttigieg had done little more than memorize 'a bunch of talking points.'

The drama continued until the very end of the debate - and then after.

As Biden was delivering his closing statement, a group of immigrant rights protesters loudly interrupted him. He had a similar encounter at a Las Vegas campaign event the night before.

And as the candidates were leaving the stage after two hours of heat, Biden and Sanders appeared to have a tense moment - as the two men, who served alongside each other on Capitol Hill - pointed their fingers at one another, with Sanders stalking off.

Democrats still divided over healthcare

Warren kept the aggressive stance she began in the debate by pivoting from attacking Bloomberg to hitting her other Democratic rivals on their healthcare plans. Polls show healthcare is a top concern among voters.

The Massachusetts senator slammed her rivals for having plans that were a 'power point' or the equivalent of a 'post-it note.'

Her comments set off a back-and-forth among the candidates that contained a mix of mocking quips with sharp attacks and allowed Biden to swoop in and announce he was the only person on the stage who got something done.

'We need to get everybody's health care plan out here,' Warren said. And then she went on to attack her rivals' plans by name.

'Mayor Buttigieg really has a slogan that was thought up by his consultants to paper over a thin version of a plan that would leave millions of people unable to afford their health care. It's not a plan, it's a power point. And Amy's plan is even less,' she said.

It's like a post-it note - insert plan here. Bernie has started very much has a good start, but instead of expanding and bringing in more people to help, instead his campaign relentlessly attacks everyone who asks a question or tries to fill in details about how to actually make this work.'

Michael Bloomberg was also criticized by Bernie Sanders, who said the former New York mayor's 'racist' policies of the past also prevent him from building a winning Democratic coalition.

Michael Bloomberg was criticized heavily during the debate, in particular taking hits from Elizabeth Warren

Bernie Sanders and former Vice President on the Democratic Debate stage

Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar on the debate stage

NBC's Chuck Todd, one of the moderators, pleaded for calm.

'Guys, I'm going to get everybody,' he reassured them. 'Mayor Buttigieg - she name checked you first.'

'She name checked me second,' Sanders objected.

'Yes. Okay,' Todd said and then motioned for Buttigieg to speak.

'I'm more of a Microsoft word guy,' Buttigieg quipped. 'If you look at my plan, I don't know if there are any power points on it but you can find the document on peteforamerica.com. You'll see it is a plan that solves the problem, makes sure there is no such thing as an uninsured American and doesn't kick anyone off the plan they have.

'This idea that the union members don't know what's good for them is the exact kind of condescension that makes people skeptical. The American people are ready in a way far beyond what was true ten years ago and what was available to President Obama at the time.'

Todd then called on Klobuchar, telling Sanders: 'I think the post-it note came first, senator.'

'I must say I take personal offense since post-it notes were invented in my state,' Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, noted.

Michael Bloomberg was also criticized by Bernie Sanders, who said the former New York mayor's 'racist' policies of the past also prevent him from building a winning Democratic coalition

While Warren went on the attack, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg share a laugh on stage

Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar kept up a fierce debate against each other

'My plan is a public option,' she continued. 'According to all the studies out there, it would reduce premiums for 12 million people immediately. It would expand coverage for about that same number. It is a significant thing. It is what Barack Obama wanted to do from the very beginning.

'And the way I look at it since we're in Vegas, when it comes to your plan, Elizabeth and Bernie's on Medicare For All, you don't put your money on a number that's not even on the wheel. And why is Medicare For All not on the wheel? Why is it not on the wheel? Because two-thirds of the Democratic senators are not even on that bill, because a bunch of the new House members that got elected see the problems with blowing up the Affordable Care Act.

'They see it right in front of them. And the truth is that when you see some troubled waters, you don't blow up a bridge, you build one. We need to improve the Affordable Care Act, not blow it up.'

Todd let Sanders go next, with the candidate name-checking several countries that have implemented universal healthcare planes.

'Somehow or another Canada can provide universal health care to all their people at half the cost. U.K. can do it, France can do it, Germany could, all of Europe can do it. Gee whiz, somehow or another we are the only major country on Earth that can't do it,' he said.

'Why is that? I'll tell you why. It's because last year the health care industry made $100 billion in profits. Pharmaceutical industry, top six companies, $69 billion in profit. Those CEOs are contributing to Pete's campaign and other campaigns up here,' the Vermont senator said.

And that is when Biden, who was vice president when Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, chimed in.

'I'm the only one on this stage that actually got anything done on health care, okay? I'm the guy the president turned to and said 'Go get the votes for Obamacare.' I notice what everybody's talking about is the plan that I first introduced,' he said.

The debate's moderators included, from left: NBC News political director Chuck Todd, NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Hallie Jackson, NBC anchor Lester Holt, Noticias Telemundo senior correspondent Vanessa Hauc and Jon Ralston of The Nevada Independent

Chair of the National Democratic Committee, Tom Perez, opened the debate stage while former US senator Harry Reid spoke ahead of the debate

Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg speaks with former Vice President Joe Biden after the debate

Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bloomberg and Joe Biden speak to each other after the debate

Attacks on Bloomberg ramped up ahead of the Democratic Debate

Ahead of the debate, the criticism against Bloomberg had already started. In a tweet on Tuesday, Warren said: 'It's a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate. But at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we can take on an egomaniac billionaire.'

Buttigieg has echoed criticism that the billionaire Bloomberg, who is self-funding his campaign, is trying to buy the White House.

'Yes. I mean, what else do you call it?,' the former South Bend mayor told CNN Tuesday night when asked if Bloomberg was trying to buy his way in. 'What else do you call it when you dip into your endless reserves of millions and billions and don't go through the process of campaigning in states like Nevada or Iowa or New Hampshire, humbling yourself, going into the diners and the backyards, looking eye to eye to voters?'

The former New York City mayor has spent $300 million on television and digital ads thus far, most of them designed to get under Trump's skin. Bloomberg has said he's open to spending up to $1 billion on the race.

And despite appearing on the Las Vegas debate stage, Bloomberg isn't participating in Saturday's Nevada caucuses. He has opted to skip the first four voting states to focus on Super Tuesday when 14 states vote on March 3 and one-third of the delegates need for the nomination are awarded.

Klobuchar also argued Bloomberg hasn't been heard by voters.

'I don't think you should just be able to buy your way to the presidency,' she told CNN Tuesday night. 'We've been answering questions. We have been going to states like Nevada and actually meeting the voters and having them quiz us and ask all kind of things, and put our policies out there. And I think that is what a presidential candidate should do. So, you know, I don't mind that he has this money, that's a great thing he made that money. But we want to make sure that we have the best candidate to lead the ticket.'

She added: 'I don't think that when people look at Donald Trump they automatically say, hmm, can we get someone richer?'

On Wednesday, Biden said he'd tell the 'truth' about Bloomberg when they face off on the debate stage.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, seen picketing alongside the Culinary Workers Union, called Mike Bloomberg an 'egomaniac billionaire' on Tuesday, the day he qualified for the debate

Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar all qualified for Wednesday's debate in Las Vegas

'The truth is he's basically been a Republican his whole life,' Biden told reporters at a Culinary Workers Union strike outside The Palm hotel in Las Vegas. 'The fact of the matter is he didn't endorse Barack or me when we ran.'

'This is a guy talking about, using Barack's pictures like they're good buddies,' Biden said, pointing to a Bloomberg television ad that shows President Obama complimenting the ex-mayor. 'I'm going to talk about his record.'

Bloomberg's 'stop and frisk' policies in New York were already under the spotlight

Biden has also criticized the former mayor for some of his policies directed toward minorities from when he ran New York City. It's an area where the former vice president has strength among voters.

'Sixty billion dollars can buy you a lot of advertising, but it can't erase your record. There's a lot to talk about with Michael Bloomberg,' Biden told NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday.

'You take a look at the 'stop-and-frisk' proposals. You take a look at his ideas on redlining he's talking about. You take a look at what he's done relative to the African American community. I'm anxious to debate Michael on the issues relating to, you know, what we're going to face in Super Tuesday.'

'It's going to be awful hard to go out and win those — the base support of the Democratic Party, the African Americans, Latinos and working-class white folks — and put that coalition together. That's how you win an election. You put that coalition together,' Biden said.

Sanders, who has taken the lead for the nomination in several recent polls, said Bloomberg shouldn't be able to buy the election.

'Mr. Bloomberg has ever right in the world to run for president of the United States. He's an American citizen. But I don't think he has the right to buy this election,' he said Tuesday night at a CNN town hall.

The Vermont senator also indicated he'd attack his rival on more than money, however. He criticized Bloomberg for supporting policies such as 'stop and frisk' when he was mayor of New York.

'His policies humiliated and offended hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people. And I think that is something that is worthy of discussion,' Sanders said.

Sanders tries to cement himself as Democratic frontrunner

The debate comes as Sanders is trying to cement himself as the party's frontrunner, while Biden - long considered the frontrunner - has to prove that his campaign is back on track after fourth and fifth place losses in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to the Sanders campaign, previewed how the Vermont senator would react to the addition of Bloomberg.

'In many ways running as Mike Bloomberg is like Donald Trump. Right? You know you have a sort of very wealthy New York business person turned political dilettante who believes he's entitled to the White House,' Weaver told DailyMail.com at a campaign event Tuesday.

'You know the contempt that Mike Bloomberg has shown for voters in this process is palpable,' Weaver continued.

The top Sanders adviser said Bloomberg shouldn't have been able to skip the first four contests to focus on Super Tuesday instead.

Weaver argued participating in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina is important because candidates are 'expected to stand in people's living rooms and go to diners and meet with small groups and small party clutches and what have you.'

'He's skipping all that because he just wants to put half a billion or a billion in TV and win the thing,' Weaver said. 'He is the epitome of sort of the entitled, elite ruling class and how they expect everybody else to bow and scrape for them,' Weaver added. 'And that's just not what's going to happen.'

Sanders has been hammering Bloomberg for weeks for trying to buy the election, though at a CNN town hall Tuesday night he wouldn't guarantee he wouldn't take Bloomberg's money, which the billionaire candidate promised to the Democratic nominee, should he not be chosen for the job himself.

'I don't think we're going to need that money,' Sanders eventually said. 'Because, interestingly enough, I think when you have an agenda as we have that speaks to the needs of working families, you're going to have millions and millions and millions of people chipping in 10 bucks apiece, 50 bucks apiece, and that's how you're going to raise the money you need to defeat Trump.'

Sanders has sprung to the lead for the nomination in the RealClearPolitics polling average on the race with Biden in second and Bloomberg in third.

Amy Klobuchar speaks with members of the Culinary Workers Union at a picket line outside the Palms Casino Resort ahead of the debate

Former Vice President Joe Biden showed his support to a picket line of workers at the Palms Resort & Casino ahead of the Democratic Debate

Former mayor Pete Buttigieg visits a picket line of workers at the Palms Resort & Casino ahead of the Democratic Debate

Democratic candidates each hoping for 'break out moment' on the debate stage

The Democrats gather Wednesday night as the pressure increases for a break out moment, one that could bring in the donations and attention needed to keep their campaign going through the next round of voting.

And the debate will see one of the smallest gathering of candidates to date as the Democratic National Committee charged the qualifications needed to make the stage.

In the first eight debates, candidates had to meet polling and fundraising thresholds to qualify for the stage, but the DNC nixed the fundraising requirements for Wednesday night's meeting.

Some critics argue this was an establishment decision to let Bloomberg make the stage after the billionaire vowed not to take any contributions and solely fund his presidential campaign.

Candidates instead could qualify three different ways: by earning 10 per cent or more in four national, Nevada or South Carolina polls; getting 12 per cent or more in two Nevada or South Carolina polls; or by earning at least one delegate in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire primary election.

Bloomberg made the stage by qualifying in the polls a day before the debate and Klobuchar qualified by earning six delegates in New Hampshire and one in Iowa.

All the other candidates qualified both in delegates and polling thresholds.

Democratic Natioanal Committee Chairman Tom Perez pushed back Wednesday on the assertion that Bloomberg bought his way onto the stage.

'We were very clear as early as last fall that once people started voting we were going to evolve the rules to reflect the fact that people have voted,' Perez told reporters in Las Vegas. 'Our job is to put the most viable candidates on the debate stage as measured by the polling of the moment and by how well you've done.'

'If you've accumulated delegates that means you've gotten 15 per cent of the vote in at least one congressional district,' Perez added. 'This is not a new criteria for debate participation - polling - this is what has been done all along.'

'And for those who have concerns that one candidate or other candidates can buy their way on, the remedy is to vote,' Perez said.

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Billionaire Mike Bloomberg attacks Bernie Sanders for wanting to abandon capitalism, saying COMMUNISM failed - then mocks him for having 'three houses'

Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg locked horns on political philosophy in Wednesday's Democratic presidential debate, arguing over who's a communist and who's a socialist.

Their bickering over Bloomberg's billions and Sanders' millions descended into a fight over who owned more homes during a contentious debate where the entire stage of candidates ganged up on the former New York City mayor and the Vermont senator found himself a target after becoming the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.

Bloomberg was defending his net worth, estimated to be around $64 billion, pointing out he earned it through 'hard work' and that he was giving his money away when Sanders argued the workers helped make that money.

Bernie Sanders walks behind Mike Bloomberg on the debate stage

It was the first debate featuring Mike Bloomberg along with Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar

Mike Bloomberg accused Bernie Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist, of being a communist

'Mr. Bloomberg, it wasn't you who made all that money. Maybe your workers played some role in that as well,' the Vermont senator said. 'And it is important those workers are able to share the benefits also. When we have so many people who go to work every day and they feel not good about their jobs. They feel like cogs in a machine. I want workers to be able to sit on corporate boards as well so they can have some say over what happens to their lives.'

The former New York City mayor then accused Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist, of being a communist.

'I can't think of a ways that would make it easier for Donald Trump to get reelected than listening to this conversation. This is ridiculous. We're not going to throw out capitalism. It was called communism and it just didn't work,' Bloomberg said.

Democratic socialists believe the means of production should be collectively owned alongside a democratic political system of government. Communism advocates for the common ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes, money and state.

Sanders, who is worth $2.5 million according to Forbes, accused Bloomberg of taking a 'cheap shot' against him.

'Let's talk about democratic socialism, not communism, Mr. Bloomberg. That's a cheap shot,' he said.

The two men represent the opposing ends of the Democratic Party - Bloomberg for the moderates and Sanders for the liberals.

And they are both fighting to get their supporters to help them win the nomination.

Bloomberg didn't let up against Sanders, pointing out the senator owns three homes.

'What a wonderful country we have. The best known socialist in the country happens to be a millionaire with three houses. What did I miss here?,' the former mayor said.

Sanders outlined the three homes he owns.

'I work in Washington, house one. Live in Burlington, house two. Like thousands of other Vermonters, I have a summer camp. Which tax haven is your home?,' he shot back.

'New York City, thank you very much,' Bloomberg snapped back, 'and I pay all my taxes and I'm happy to do it because I get something for it.'

The first debate featuring Bloomberg found the former mayor defending his record on race and gender amid his defense of the billions he made as a businessman in New York.

Sanders, who has taken the lead in the recent national polls on the race, had to defend his health and his ability to beat Donald Trump in November.

The debate, held in Las Vegas, comes three days before the Nevada caucuses - the third nominating contest for Democrats.

Bloomberg may be on the debate stage but he won't be participating in the caucuses. He's skipping the first four voting states to focus on Super Tuesday - the March 3 date where 14 states pick one-third of the delegates needed for the nomination.

While most of the hits were against Bloomberg, all of the candidates came under fire from one another and they all ended up on the defense at one point or another during the two-hour event.

'This has been quite a debate,' Amy Klobuchar said at its conclusion.

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'I can't use TurboTax!' Mike Bloomberg says he WILL publish 'thousands of pages' of tax returns and says, YES, I deserve my $61 billion because 'I worked very hard for it'

Mike Bloomberg said he will release his tax returns - it's just taking a long time thanks to his tremendous wealth, which he also told a crowd of Democratic voters that he deserves.

'I make a lot of money and we do business all around the world and we are preparing - the number of pages will probably be thousands of pages, I can't go to TurboTax,' Bloomberg said.

When asked if he, as someone who is worth approximately $61 billion, should exist, the former New York City mayor answered in the affirmative.

'Yes,' he answered point-blank. 'I worked very hard for it.'

With Bernie Sanders leading the charge, the Democratic presidential hopefuls took on Bloomberg during his debate debut, especially over his enormous wealth, with the Vermont senator charging that American tax policy pushed by rich political donors allowed billionaires like the ex-mayor to balloon their coffers while others are living on the streets.

'I can't speak for all billionaires, all I know is I've been very lucky, made a lot of money and I'm giving it all away to make this country better,' Bloomberg said. 'A good chunk of it goes to the Democratic Party as well,' the debate stage newcomer added.

Bloomberg was asked about his tax returns during a portion of the Las Vegas Democratic debates where the candidates were calling each other out for lacking transparency in various ways.

'It just takes a long time,' Bloomberg said when the subject veered from Bernie Sanders' health records to the billionaire candidate's taxes.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he deserves his tens of billions in wealth and will be putting out his tax returns

Michael Bloomberg (left) was the new candidate on the stage at Wednesday night's Democratic debate - and got hammered by the other hopefuls

Bloomberg pointed out that he had a history of releasing his returns, having served three terms as the mayor of New York City.

'I put out my tax return every year for 12 years in City Hall, we will put out this one,' Bloomberg said. 'It will tell everybody everything they need to know about every investment that I make and where the money goes.'

He then made the point that the bulk of his wealth goes to charity.

'The biggest item is all the money I give away,' Bloomberg said. 'We list that, every single donation I make. You can get that from our foundation any time you want.'

Bloomberg's debut on the debate stage played out like a game of whack-a-mole, with Bloomberg, the former Republican billionaire mayor, as the sole mole.

'I'd like to talk about who we're running against, a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians. And no I'm not talking about Donald Trump, I'm talking about Mayor Bloomberg,' said Elizabeth Warren in her opening salvo.

It was Amy Klobuchar who hammered him over tax returns.

'I'm just looking at my husband in the front row that has to do our taxes all the time,' she said. 'We probably could go to TurboTax.'

'The point of this is I believe in transparency,' the Minnesota senator went on.

She pointed out that all the other Democratic candidates had already released their returns.

Bloomberg was the last of the major candidates to enter the race, making his announcement in late November 2019.

'It is a major issue because the president of the United States has been hiding behind his tax returns even when courts order him to come forward with those tax returns,' she said.

She then turned from President Trump back to Bloomberg.

'I don't care how much money anyone has,' Klobuchar said. 'I think it's great you've got a lot of money, but I think you've got to come forward with your tax returns.'

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Joe Biden laces into Mike Bloomberg's 'ABHORRENT' stop-and-frisk policy as former New York mayor says he did it to bring down crime

Mike Bloomberg was forced to face implemented racist stop and frisk policies as fellow candidates on stage at the debate Wednesday night took aim at the former mayor of New York City.

'Well, if I go back and look at my time in office, the one thing that I'm really worried about – embarrassed about – was how it turned out with stop and frisk,' he admitted.

Even though the billionaire expressed regret, he claimed that the policy was effective in reducing crime in American's most populated city and tried to write it off as a mistake he had already apologized for.

'When I got into office, there were 650 murders a year in New York City, and I thought that my first responsibility was to give people the right to live,' Bloomberg explained in defending implementing the practice. 'That's the basic right of everything.'

Former Vice President Joe Biden called the stop and frisks implemented by Michael Bloomberg when he was New York City mayor 'abhorrent' and the former mayor admitted that it 'got out of control'

In the most fiery debate yet of the 2020 primary season, Bloomberg, who was making his first debate appearance, faced an onslaught of attacks from his Democratic challengers.

Former Vice President Joe Biden called the stop and frisks 'abhorrent' and the former mayor admitted that it 'got out of control.'

'When we discovered – I discovered – that we were doing many, many – too many – stop and frisks, we cut 95 per cent of it out,' Bloomberg asserted.

The former mayor said he is and was trying to 'learn' how to change policies to help continuing reduce crime in New York City.

'I've sat down with a bunch of African-American clergy and business people to talk about this to try to learn. I've talked to a number of kids who have been stopped. And I'm trying – was trying to understand how we change our policy so we can keep the city safe because the crime rate did go from 650, 50 per cent down to 300. And We have to keep a lid on crime, but we cannot go out and stop people discriminately,' he said.

Biden hit back at Bloomberg, claiming he couldn't apologize it away and said it violated every right people posses.

'Let's get something straight. The reason that stop and frisk changed is because Barack Obama sent moderators to see what was going on. When we sent them there to say 'this practice has to stop,' the mayor thought it was a terrible idea we send them there – a terrible idea,' Biden said, invoking the name of one of the most famous Democrats.

'It's not whether he apologized or not, it's the policy. The policy was abhorrent, and it was, in fact, a violation of every right people have,' he said, claiming Bloomberg pushed back against stopping the policies.

'He figured out it was a bad idea after we sent in monitors and said it must stop. Even then he continued the policy,' Biden said on stage at the ninth Democratic primary debate.

Bloomberg, a newcomer who launched his campaign in mid-November, qualified for the debate stage Tuesday and became the common enemy of the rest of the Democrats on stage.

But the 78-year-old billionaire, who is self-funding his campaign, asserted the best he could do is apologize for his past and promise to do better in the future.

'I've sat, I've apologized, I've asked for forgiveness, but the bottom line is we stopped too many people, and we've got to make sure that we do something about criminal justice in this country,' Bloomberg explained.

'There is no great answer to a lot of these problems. If we took off everybody that was wrong off this panel, everybody that was wrong on criminal justice at some time in their careers, there'd be nobody else up here,' he said of the five other candidates on stage.

It was clear that Bloomberg would face questions over stop and frisk, a policy that has been widely denounced as racist.

Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday that Bloomberg would need to answer for the way he has treated different groups and people.

'I think he has to answer for his treatment of others, for his language and above all for an attitude that seems to have dismissed the humanity of a lot of people,' Buttigieg said in an interview with NBC Nightly News.

