Michael Bloomberg could lower the bar for presidential height.
Bloomberg, a billionaire and former mayor of New York City, is reportedly preparing to jump into the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
Bloomberg stands at a full five feet, seven inches, though he once awarded himself an extra three inches on his driver’s license. If elected, he would be the shortest president in recent history.
President Donald Trump, for comparison, is six-foot-three. Former President Barack Obama stands at six feet one inch. Both Trump and Obama tower over Bloomberg in photos.
Joe Torre, Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump attend the 2008 Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation Golf Classic at Trump National Golf Club on July 14, 2008. (Rick Odell/Getty Images)
(Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Historically, taller presidential candidates have fared better than shorter candidates.
Bloomberg wouldn’t be the shortest president of all time — that honor goes to five foot four James Madison — but he would be the shortest president in more than a century. William McKinley was the last five-foot-seven president. He died in 1901.
Bloomberg is nearly a foot shorter than the tallest president in American history, Abraham Lincoln, who measured in at six feet four inches. (RELATED: Every Democratic 2020 Frontrunner Supports Bill Forcing Male Athletes Into Girls’ Sports)
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Bloomberg has shown awareness in the past of the potential challenges his short stature could pose to a presidential bid.
When asked in 2007 about whether he would join the following year’s presidential election, he answered, “What chance does a five-foot-seven billionaire Jew who’s divorced really have of becoming president?”
President Trump has already latched onto Bloomberg’s height as a potential weakness, dubbing the former mayor “Little Michael.”
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.