18/02/2023

“Returning the Favor” host Mike Rowe threw some shade Friday at 2020 hopeful Michael Bloomberg’s claim that California should serve as a model for the rest of the United States.

“Returning the Favor” host Mike Rowe threw some shade Friday at 2020 hopeful Michael Bloomberg’s claim that California should serve as a model for the rest of the United States.
Mr. Rowe, the former host of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” who has become a household name among blue-collar conservatives for his everyman and often patriotic words of wisdom, told Fox News that Mr. Bloomberg “lost me with that whole ‘California is a model’ thing.”
“It’s probably beyond my pay grade but my understanding of what’s going on in California is seemingly different than his, so I don’t get it,” he said.
Conservatives, including President Trump, have pointed to California’s homelessness and drug crises as examples of the setbacks of unrestrained liberalism. Mr. Bloomberg, however, opened his first campaign office in the state in Los Angeles Monday, telling supporters that he admired the state for being a leader on issues such as gun control and protecting illegal immigrants.
“I think that California can serve as a great example for the rest of this country,” Mr. Bloomberg said, City News Service reported. “You have led the way on climate change, on fighting gun violence and on criminal justice. And you have, as importantly, welcomed immigrants with open arms. Because unlike our president, you understand immigration doesn’t threaten America, immigration strengthens America.”
Mr. Rowe said Friday that despite Mr. Bloomberg’s comments on California, there are certain aspects of the former New York City mayor’s platform that he could get behind.
“I read his plan — it’s kind of like a fruitcake, there’s some stuff in it I like,” Mr. Rowe said. “I like the idea of pushing technical trades. I like the idea of focusing on parts of the country that haven’t participated in the economy that we have.”
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