The mayor known for railing about healthy eating and lifestyle choices has some gut-busting, vein-clogging habits of his own.
In a wide-ranging interview with Time Magazine, Mayor Bloomberg admits that his ideal meal is a peanut butter and bacon sandwich on white bread.
“The cholesterol will go right to your veins,” he admits.
Bloomberg didn’t say how often he indulges in the greasy concoction but he did say he prefers it over fine dining in cities like Paris, where he sat down with the magazine.
The choice runs contrary to Bloomberg’s reputation as a health crusader. He famously banned smoking in restaurants and city parks, forced restaurants to post calorie counts and banned trans-fats from city eateries.
He tried to ban large sodas and sugary drinks last year but has run into problems with the courts.
Bloomberg also told the magazine that he plans to spend his retirement using his estimated $31 billion to influence health policy and political issues like gun control.
The world’s 13th richest man says he sets no limit with his political director and deputy mayor Howard Wolfson when it comes to lavishing his fortune on pet projects.
He only asks, “What will it take?” he said.
The data-driven billionaire is also known to interrupt those who stray from the bottom line during pitches with the directive, “Quit fingerpainting.”
“I want to do things that nobody else is doing,” said Bloomberg, who is expected to spend $400 million of his personal fortune this year on various causes.
Discussing his plans for leaving office, he said his charitable giving will most certainly grow.
“I’m not going to play golf like I threatened to do full time,” he told Time.
He also won’t go back to managing Bloomberg LP, the media company that he founded in 1981.
“A lot of elected officials are afraid to back controversial things. I’m not afraid of that,” he said.
“You’re not going to hurt my business, and if you are, I don’t care. I take great pride in being willing to stand up.”
His interests so far have spanned the globe, and include disparate topics like spending a whopping $100 million — through his alma mater John Hopkins — to create a breed of mosquito that doesn’t carry malaria.
Bloomberg, who told the magazine that he counts his ex-wife Susan as his best friend, will also turn his post-City Hall attention to gun control.
Currently, he’s mulling plans to finance a challenger against Arkansas Democrat Mark Pryor, the senator who voted against background checks on guns.
The plan would involve calling every Democrat in his state to remind them of the vote.
In explaining his passion for giving, Bloomberg recounted a conversation he had with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
“The worst combination of things is to not try to do the right thing, and to lose,” Bloomberg said. “Then you have nothing to hold your hat on.”
