The Faber Report

Media mogul John Malone says Trump causes 'chaos' and he would vote for Bloomberg in 2020

Key Points
  • "Half the people that he's hired and thrown under the bus are now trying to kill him. I mean, what kind of thing is that? It's chaos," Malone says.
  • Instead, Malone said he'd vote for former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the 2020 presidential election.
  • "I just don't think [Trump's] the right guy to do it. He just doesn't build a team: I think that's the No. 1 problem," he added.
Watch CNBC's full interview with Liberty Media Chairman John Malone
VIDEO1:08:1601:08:16
Watch CNBC's full interview with Liberty Media Chairman John Malone

The Trump White House "is chaos" and the president isn't the right person to lead the United States, media mogul and Liberty Media Chairman John Malone said Thursday.

"Look, I think a lot of the things Trump has tried to do — identifying problems and trying to solve them — has been great. I just don't think he's the right guy to do it," Malone told CNBC's David Faber from New York. "Half the people that he's hired and thrown under the bus are now trying to kill him. I mean, what kind of thing is that? It's chaos."

"I just don't think he's the right guy to do it. He just doesn't build a team, I think that's the No. 1 problem," Malone added.

Liberty Media's John Malone: Streaming content will eventually thin out
VIDEO10:0910:09
Liberty Media's John Malone: Streaming content will eventually thin out

The Trump administration has seen a marked number of high-level departures since the president took office in January 2017 including but not limited to former national security adviser John Bolton, former White House chief of staff John Kelly, former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

House Democrats are in the middle of the public stage of an impeachment inquiry into Trump and whether the president directed his personal attorney to broker a "quid pro quo" with Ukraine. U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland testified on Wednesday that Rudy Giuliani was conveying Trump's wishes when he "demanded" Ukraine announce investigations into the president's political rivals.

Instead, Liberty's Malone said he'd vote for former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the 2020 presidential election despite his own reservations as a pronounced libertarian. Malone said he'd still favor billionaire Bloomberg even though he doesn't know if Bloomberg "has much of a chance."

Bloomberg, a 77-year-old former Republican, is reportedly weighing an entrance into the 2020 competition despite what would be a later start than the current cast of Democratic front-runners. But Bloomberg, if he decides to enter the race, could represent a more moderate option versus Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

John Malone: I have problems seeing HBO getting to the top of the streaming wars
VIDEO5:5705:57
John Malone: I have problems seeing HBO getting to top of streaming wars

Warren in particular has drawn the ire of Wall Street for her high-profile spats with billionaires like Leon Cooperman and other executives across Big Tech and Big Banking. She's proposed plans for large tax hikes on the wealthiest Americans and expansive government programs including "Medicare for All."

But Malone told Faber that he's no fan of the Massachusetts Democrat and what he sees as growing animosity toward affluent Americans.