michael bloomberg is eight times wealthier than donald trump. after attending jones hopkins and harvard business school, he headed to wall street to work at solomon brothers. in 1981, he left the investment firm to start his own company. an empire that began with a computer that revolutionized financial data, and grew to encompass three massssooengazines. service reporting on the financial world. he was a lifelong democrat. in 2001, he switched to the of new york city. he was elected weeks after 9/11. >> this is our victory. a victory for a vision and our greatest city in the world. >> reporter: as mayor, bloomberg banned smoking and transfat in restaurants, and saw gend zbn gendrification. he was elected for a third time, this time as an independent. the final term was marked by controversy. with rising income inequality and police techniques like stop and frisk. >> it's not because of race, it is because of crime. >> reporter: in a highly publicized and criticized move, bloomberg tried and failed to limit sugary sodas. >> if we're serious about fighting obesity, we have to be honest about what causes it and have the courage to tackle it. >> rep