OHIO - Mr Michael Bloomberg said it's unrealistic to think the United States can stop doing business with China but that as president he could simultaneously pressure Beijing to halt human rights abuses and become a more open society.
It was Mr Bloomberg's first CNN town hall, an event that has become routine for many of his Democratic rivals. He had mostly appeared in controlled campaign events and through the flood of ads across the country with more than a half-billion dollars in spending. Yet in engaging voters, he struggled to demonstrate the personal touch that is essential to many successful presidential campaigns.
On other topics, Bloomberg also said he has contacted the women, or their lawyers, involved in three non-disclosure agreements he's agreed to lift related to offensive comments they said he made at his company, allowing them to speak publicly if they want. He said he doesn't know whether anybody will.
He doesn't want to be caught contradicting himself.