Mike Bloomberg referred to trans women as ‘some guy in a dress’

A newly unearthed video shows 2020 presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg referring to transgender women for a second time as “some guy in a dress.”

After a new campaign ad touted the former mayor as “incredibly sensitive” to the LGBTQ community, a video resurfaced of Bloomberg last year referring to transgender people as “he, she or it” and “some guy in a dress” — the second time he’s been caught making such comments in recent years.

In the clip, recorded in March before announcing his campaign, Bloomberg used the language to warn 2020 Democratic hopefuls against stressing transgender issues, arguing that they wouldn’t play well in middle America.

“If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether he, she, or it can go to the locker room with their daughter, that’s not a winning formula for most people,” he said at a Manhattan forum hosted by the Bermuda Development Agency.

He delivered a similar remark about a “man wearing a dress” while making the same point at Oxford University in 2016.

Despite the flippant language, a spokesperson for the Bloomberg campaign told Buzzfeed that the candidate is ready to stand behind transgender rights.

“Mike understands that the transgender community has been under attack for decades and the advance of rights has not been equal. In April 2002, during his first year as mayor, Mike signed a sweeping transgender civil rights bill into law,” the spokesperson told the outlet. “His company provides comprehensive health care coverage for his transgender employees.

The spokesperson added that, “as president, he has a comprehensive plan to secure rights for transgender Americans, including passing the Equality Act, ensuring transgender people have access to affirming health care and working to end the crisis of violence against transgender women.”