‘Meatball Mike’ Bloomberg has a weird night on Twitter during Democratic debate

Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign tested out an oddball Twitter strategy during the Democratic debate on Tuesday — a move widely panned on the social media site as other users made fun of the “weird” jokes from the campaign.

The campaign, whose candidate was excluded from the debate stage because he is self-funding his 2020 bid, started the cringe-worthy social media blitz by explaining in a tweet they were going to post “fun” content as an alternative.

They drew the most reaction with a photoshopped image of Bloomberg’s face on a meatball, which was accompanied by a tweet that asked users to spot the ball that looked like Mike.

The tweet was scorched by other users, with a number of them replying to it with obscene images.

Others panned the joke.

“This is weird. Not charming. Not cute. Not witty. Not pithy. Not funny. Not clever. WEIRD,” wrote Aubrey Bear.

“No. Not a good idea. I really appreciate all the work Mike has done but please don’t make this weird,” added another Twitter user.

The campaign then went on a storm of other jokes that were largely condemned by other users on the site.

“Less Tostitos branding than we expected. The candidates are barely mentioning Tostitos, which go great with dips, nachos or your favorite party snack recipe! #DemDebate,” the campaign wrote in another tweet.

They also made use of Twitter’s polling feature, asking their followers to respond to equally strange questions.

“WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF THE BODY TO GET A BLOOMBERG 2020 TATTOO?” one of the polls asked. Answers included: lower back, thigh, neck and forehead.

“POLL TIME! WHICH WILD ANIMAL WOULD BE MOST FUN TO RELEASE ONTO THE DEBATE STAGE WITHOUT WARNING?” they wrote in another poll, with options: ostrich, raccoon and komodo dragon.

In another tweet, the campaign included a mocked-up photo of President Gerald Ford eating a calzone with marinara sauce on his mouth.

“Observers believe the turning point of the 1976 election is when Gerald Ford debated while eating a sausage calzone. #DebateFacts #DemDebate,” they wrote.

The campaign then went on a storm of other jokes that were largely condemned by other users on the site.

“What is happening,” replied one user who apparently didn’t appreciate the joke.

“Hacked by #TheOnion?” user David Pinero wrote. 

“We’re aren’t hacked. The Bloomberg 2020 team is having a little fun tonight,” a campaign spokesperson said in a statement.

After the tweet storm, Bloomberg tweeted a serious message to Democrats and President Trump, arguing the election will be won in battleground states carried by Trump in 2016 like Wisconsin.

“Now that my team @mike2020 has your attention, I think it’s important that you see what @realDonaldTrump said to voters in Wisconsin tonight. Battleground states like Wisconsin will decide the 2020 election. This is not a joke,” the former mayor wrote.