Michael Bloomberg may make a better president than Donald Trump – but even he’s not sure he can win

In the battle of the billionaires, Michael Bloomberg is a good bet to beat Donald Trump. The problem is, do the Democrats trust him enough to enter the ring?

Will he, won’t he? Among the many running US political stories of the past few months one of the most durable has been whether Michael Bloomberg will seek the Democratic nomination for president. He has been a bit of a tease, saying he wouldn’t in March, then hinting he would, asking close colleagues what they thought about the idea, and I understand genuinely worrying whether this would be a masterstroke to save the nation, or a seriously bad idea.

On Friday it looked for a moment as though he had come to a decision. He filed the paperwork to enter the primary election in Alabama, having missed the deadlines for the earlier state primaries, including Iowa and New Hampshire. Yesterday he filed paperwork to enter the primary in Arkansas.

But all is not what it seems. This is not a bid; it is more an insurance policy. If any of the present candidates establishes a substantial lead in the first few primaries and he believes they might beat Donald Trump (assuming, not certain, that the Donald is still in office and the Republican candidate) then he can step back. If not, then he can still have a crack at it.