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May 16 (UPI) -- New York Mayor Bill de Blasio joined the growing list of presidential candidates Thursday, formally announcing his 2020 bid for the White House. De Blasio made the announcement on Good Morning America. The 58-year-old mayor said he plans to travel to Iowa and South Carolina this week to kick off his campaign.
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"Donald Trump must be stopped," de Blasio said in a video posted online, titled Working People First. "I've beaten him before and I will do it again.
"There's plenty of money in this country, it's just in the wrong hands," he says to begin the three-minute video. "We built an agenda that puts working families first."
He also touts his work increasing the city's minimum wage and guaranteeing healthcare for New Yorkers.
"I'm a New Yorker, I've known Trump is a bully for a long time," he said in the video. "And I know how to take him on."
De Blasio said as president he would also fight climate change, wipe out Trump's immigration policies and "take on the wealthy" and big corporations.
"I will not rest until this government serves working people," he said.
De Blasio has served two terms as mayor of the largest U.S. city, where he's pushed initiatives for mental health services, affordable housing and early childhood education. He supported legalizing marijuana and reduced the police practice of stop and frisk.
A frequent critic of Trump, de Blasio has been involved in legal actions concerning the Trump Organization in New York City, the president's hometown.
De Blasio did not endorse Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton until the month before the 2016 election, despite having worked as a campaign manager when she was a New York senator. He'd called Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign "very helpful for this country and for the party." Sanders is running again.
De Blasio attracted Trump's attention Monday with a news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower to discuss an initiative to lower greenhouse gas emissions produced by the city's buildings -- singling out Trump Tower as a key polluter.
Eric Trump, the president's son and an executive in the Trump Organization, said "forcing a pop-up news conference in our lobby is simply childish." Undeterred, de Blasio threatened Trump with millions of dollars in fines if he doesn't improve the environmental efficiency of his buildings.
"Here's a message for President Trump: Don't mess with your hometown. Fix your buildings, and while you are at it, fix your policies," de Blasio said.
Trump responded on Twitter.
"The Dems are getting another beauty to join their group. Bill de Blasio of NYC, considered the worst mayor in the U.S., will supposedly be making an announcement for president today," Trump said. "He is a JOKE, but if you like high taxes & crime, he's your man. NYC HATES HIM!"
De Blasio might be too late for the first Democratic presidential debate in Miami in June, which requires a candidate to have 1 percent support in three public polls or 65,000 donors from at least 20 states by June 13. Two other Democrats, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and Sen. Michael F. Bennet of Colorado, also may not qualify.
Former Vice President Joe Biden announced Thursday he will base his campaign in Philadelphia. He plans to have his first rally Saturday at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
"We're proud to anchor our campaign in the birthplace of American democracy," said campaign manager Greg Schultz. "Philadelphia is a thriving city and a testament to the American spirit, built by the ingenuity and tenacity of ordinary people who did extraordinary things."
