Judge Judy Endorses Favorite for President: ‘I Am Taking a Personal and a Career Risk’

Lifetime achievement award winner Judge Judy Sheindlin poses in the press room at the 46th annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, Calif., on May 5, 2019. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Longtime daytime TV star Judge Judy revealed her 2020 choice, and it’s former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has not declared his candidacy for president.

“I realize I am taking a personal and a career risk in making such a statement. I have carefully stayed away from politics for 50 years, except to vote. But times have changed in our country, and I believe the moment has come for me to step out from behind the curtain. I want to speak honestly and from the heart—regardless of the consequences,” Judge Judy Sheindlin wrote for USA Today.

Sheindlin noted that Bloomberg, 77, said in March he isn’t interested in running for president.

“I respect his comment—but our political landscape has changed profoundly since he made it. There is ferment on the left and the right, candidacies are rising and falling, and this has created an opportunity for Bloomberg, a man of the center, to change his mind,” she claimed.

Bloomberg, she argued, is a businessman who “represents our best chance to bring America together again and begin the long national process of healing,” saying that there are far-right and far-left elements trying to divide the country.

“There used to be a preponderance of folks on the Democratic side who understood the need to elect a centrist candidate, someone who could build coalitions and reach across the aisle. But in this campaign, candidates are fighting to out-left each other with pie-in-the-sky proposals for free money and free education,” the judge wrote.

She then asked where all the “free” stuff is coming from.

Judge Judy Sheindlin attends the 2017 Forbes Women's Summit at Spring Studios in New York City on June 13, 2017. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

“I realize you may vehemently disagree with me, and that’s OK. We all know that spirited debate is part of what makes this country great, and so different from other nations. But let’s keep it civil. As fellow Americans, we should respect each other’s voices. If someone expresses an opinion in a thoughtful, well-behaved manner, those who disagree should do so in the same manner,” she added.

There have been reports in October saying that Bloomberg, the head of Bloomberg News, might entertain a presidential bid.

Last year, it was reported that the famed TV judge may be the highest-paid star on TV. According to Forbes, she made $147 million in 2017.

Judge Judy Sheindlin and her husband attend the 2014 Heroes Of Hollywood Luncheon at Taglyan Cultural Complex in Hollywood on June 5, 2014. (Valerie Macon/Getty Images)

“Many people, as I did in the beginning, get stuck with a job they don’t really like. … If you’re not doing something that you love to do, find something that you love to do because it will make your whole life different,” Sheindlin told Forbes.

“Because it takes so long to build such a loyal, large audience, it isn’t surprising that the list of Highest-Paid Talk Show Hosts does not vary much year-to-year. Still, new gigs can lead to a pretty big cash jump. Ryan Seacrest, who cohosts ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan,’ saw his earnings leap from $58 million to $74 million this year thanks to his eight-figure check for hosting the revived American Idol. DeGeneres’s income also climbed thanks to a $20 million check from Netflix for a single stand-up special,” wrote Forbes.