Odds of Michael Bloomberg Running for President 'Very, Very Low,' Source Says

The billionaire businessman is unlikely to launch a campaign for president.

ByABC News
March 1, 2016, 12:22 PM

— -- The odds of Michael Bloomberg running for president are “very, very low -- almost zero,” a source close to Bloomberg told ABC News.

His decision, the source said, will likely come this week or next. Another Bloomberg confidant would not confirm nor deny that characterization but told ABC News, “We are at crunch time.”

As ABC News reported in January, the former mayor of New York City has been exploring the possibility of running as an independent. His political team has done research on his viability and the requirements to get his name on the ballot in all 50 states.

Back in January, ABC News was told the odds of the billionaire running were “50-50” if it looked like Donald Trump would be the Republican nominee and Bernie Sanders would be the Democratic nominee.

With Hillary Clinton looking more and more like the presumptive Democratic nominee, the odds of Bloomberg running have dropped dramatically.

In his conversations with his closest advisers, Bloomberg has not ruled out beginning the process of getting on the ballot and deferring a decision until later. But sources told ABC News that Bloomberg is leaning against such a move and is more likely to make a final decision over the next week or two.

Get real-time updates as this story unfolds. To start, just "star" this story in ABC News' phone app. Download ABC News for iPhone here or ABC News for Android here.