Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has taken a swipe at Donald Trump accusing his administration of dividing the nation - as friends confirm to DailyMailTV that he's building towards a 2020 run.

In an exclusive interview Garcetti says 'it breaks my heart' to witness what he described as the damage Trump is doing, but feels there is opportunity for unity.

He also pointedly avoided using the president's name, in a sign of the unifying message he is likely to see as his path to the Democratic nomination.

The 47-year-old politician insisted that the nation could, with the right leadership, became a 'loving place that everybody belongs to,' and he promised 'less talk, more action.'

This comes as close friends of the mayor told DailyMailTV that they believe Garcetti will throw his hat into the ring to fight for the Democratic nomination.

He is likely to join a crowded field; there are already three registered candidates for the nomination and a slew of big names who have begun maneuvers, among them former vice president Joe Biden, California senator Kamala Harris, New Jersey senator Cory Booker and Ohio senator Sherrod Brown.

Running: Friends say Eric Garcetti, pictured with his wife Amy Wakeland and daughter Maya Juanita and another child at the Grove Christmas tree lighting, is getting ready to bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination

Rival: Eric Garcetti is considering a run against Donald Trump and told DailyMailTV he wanted a county which is united and where everybody feels they belong

Star power: Eric Garcetti poses with Molly Sims on the red carpet of The Grove Christmas tree lighting, Behind the scenes he has been feeling out star power for a potential campaign

Garcetti has already sounded out aides and friends in private about his 2020 run, taking advice from former campaign officials about possible tactics, DailyMailTV has learned.

And behind closed doors he's already asked for support from celebrities in Hollywood and Democratic party figures.

Speaking to DailyMailTV Garcetti spelled out the reasons why he feels he can make a difference to the US.

Stopping short of officially confirming a presidential run, he boasted of how his near two decades in Los Angeles politics, first on the city council and five years as mayor has given him huge experience in achieving goals, while understanding the importance of 'humanity and compassion.'

He joked that 'no rational person would run for president', but reckons his experience in office means he understands the 'sacrifice' needed to stay a 'real person.'

He said: 'It breaks my heart to see a country that is told we are divided, that we don't know how to talk to each other, that we are either red or blue, heartland or coastal people.

'I think all of that is false. We know how to speak each other's language, it doesn't matter where we come from whether it is the Midwest or from Mexico.

'This is a loving place that everybody belongs, and so 20 years from now I hope we are well back to that place, where we are unified, we are thinking about how we can win the future again and we are getting stuff done. Less talk, more action.'

Garcetti, who is from a political dynasty - his father Gil Garcetti served as L.A.'s district attorney for two terms - said that running for president will be strenuous.

Asked if he has concerns, he replied: 'It is huge. I always joke no rational person would ever run for president, but no rational person would probably run for mayor. And it comes with huge sacrifice.

'You have to carve out time for your family, you have to carve time for your loved ones, to stay a real person and luckily I have done this for 17 years and I feel like the same person from the day before I was an honorable Eric Garcetti.

'My dad once told me "it is not your title that defines you, Eric." You have to know who you are the day you go in, because you have to know who you are on the day you go out - hopefully on your terms.

'And I think if you live for the work itself and what you are going to accomplish, and not the praise or worry about the criticism, you can get a lot done.'

Garcetti will be able to draw from the experiences of his father, who as a two-term district attorney for Los Angeles from 1992 to 2000 was elected in the aftermath of the LAPD's beating of Rodney King and the riots which followed, then oversaw both the Menendez brothers and OJ Simpson murder trials.



Garcetti says he will make a decision about whether he will run for president in 'around the turn of the year' - a stance he has maintained publicly.

But close friends of the LA mayor have told DailyMailTV that the mayor feels he has the 'right appeal', 'experience' and 'understanding' to tackle Trump in 2020.

In the last month Garcetti crossed the country to boost Democrats in the midterm elections, but used that trip to 'begin his strides and make alliances' to win the Democratic nomination, a close friend said.

His friend says he wants to go 'head to head' with Trump in front of the nation to challenge Trump's regime and present ideas to 'help the struggling nation.'

Campaign backing: As Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti might decide he is what Democrats want for a gift by Christmas 2020

The close friend said: 'Eric is 100 per cent running for president and is vying to be the Democratic choice. He may hint and play with media in his interviews, but he is already working on his campaign.

'He genuinely feels that he can be the best man for the job, and take down Trump in 2020.

'He has made allies within the party on his mid-term drive, sounding them out about his plans and proposals to win back the nation's votes.'

He believes there is 'significant support', the friend said, among both party figures and - crucially - donors.

Money from Los Angeles and its network of donors has become critical to Democrats in recent election cycles, with both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton proving adept at milking the liberal Hollywood elite to fund their campaigns.

Garcetti has presented himself as a 'straight talking human being' when meeting donors, senior party figures - within the party hierarchy, and among party donors.

He has emphasized his Hispanic background in the belief that he can energize a turnout from voters who have largely stayed out of presidential elections. Unlocking a new demographic would give him a potential path to the White House untested by previous candidates.

'Eric feels like he has a lot to offer voters, given his experiences in LA,' the friend said.

'One key selling point is that he is bilingual, which will prompt huge votes from the Hispanic communities.

'For the Democratic Party that could make a huge difference. His very public stance on supporting immigration from Central America will be popular too.'

Garcetti, who was voted in for a second term as LA mayor last year, has been married to Amy Elaine Wakeland since 2009 and the couple has one adopted daughter Maya Juanita, six.

They have also fostered several children over the past decade.

He's a fourth generation Angeleno, the son of public servants and the grandson and great-grandson of immigrants from Mexico and Eastern Europe.

He studied at Columbia University and attended Oxford University in the UK as a Rhodes Scholar, as did his wife.

More mayors: Among the former mayors considered possible Democratic 2020 runners are San Antonio's Julian Castro and New York's Michael Bloomberg

If he were to gain the Democratic nomination he would be both the first Jewish American and first Hispanic American candidate from a mainstream party, and the first west coast candidate since Ronald Reagan.

Prior to being voted on to the L.A. City Council he was a visiting instructor of international affairs at the University of Southern California and an assistant professor of diplomacy and world affairs at Occidental College.

Garcetti has a long-established national Democratic profile, having stumped for Obama on 2007.

However he has never mounted a wider run for office than in his home city.

The possibility of a mayor running has become a theme of discussions as Democrats face a vast field of potential candidates.

Other current or ex-mayors considered likely to look into a run include New Orleans' Mitch Landrieu; Julián Castro, who was mayor of San Antonio and an Obama secretary for Housing and Urban Development; and Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire New York ex-mayor; and

Speaking at The Christmas Tree Lighting at The Grove shopping center in LA Sunday, bilingual Garcetti told DailyMailTV that immigrants can bolster international trade - as opposed to Trump's concerns that many foreigners are damaging the economy.

And he said his ability to communicate in English and Spanish could be 'critical', adding: 'I think it is critical for us to embrace, especially in the competitive world, speaking multiple languages.

'And here in America where the Latino community has grown exonentially and some are four and fifth generation Latinos, some even longer; it is really important to speak to people in the languages that they understand and vice versa.

'It fills me with joy when I see kids who know Mandarin in public school in China Town because that is going to help us compete.

'Vice versa we are going to get more trade, more jobs by being able to interact with Latin America - yo estoy muy orgulloso - I am very proud.'

He added that it was 'very clear' President Donald Trump is hostile to Latinos. The close friend said Garcetti is now mostly concerned about the timing of his announcement.

'It could be within the month, but may be held back until the start of the year to not get clouded or lost in the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday,' the friend said.