That would further erode discourse online and contribute to an already distrustful electorate, he added.

Republicans including President Donald Trump have increasingly used disinformation online. One glaring example was a doctored video of a stammering Speaker Nancy Pelosi that President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Guliani circulated in Mayon his Twitter account and then deleted. The Atlantic ran a lengthy magazine piece under the headline: “The Billion-Dollar Disinformation Campaign to Reelect the President.”

In response, Democrats have debated whether to engage in similar tactics. With his virtually unlimited budget Bloomberg has amassed an enormous digital operation: He is the only Democratic hopeful with the financial wherewithal to even begin to challenge the sophisticated digital machine Trump has built. And the former New York City mayor — eager to distill what will resonate with voters — is testing tactics and messages more aggressively than any of his Democratic rivals.