Gore, Bloomberg joke about presidential run

NEW YORK, Apr 26 (Reuters) Former Vice President Al Gore and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg traded jokes about running for US president, but neither gave anything away amid speculation they might join the race.

Both Gore and Bloomberg, a billionaire businessman and longtime Democrat who switched parties to run for mayor in 2001, have said they have no plans to run for US president, but speculation continues.

At a news conference for the start of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, Bloomberg described Gore as ''the hottest leading man of the moment'' and praised his Oscar-winning environmental documentary ''An Inconvenient Truth.'' ''His recent success has even prompted some talk that he might again try for the White House,'' Bloomberg said.

Turning to Gore, he added: ''Al, don't you just hate those rumors about running for president?'' Gore, the Democratic presidential nominee who lost to President George W Bush in 2000, praised the Republican Bloomberg for announcing over the weekend what Gore called ''gutsy'' measures to make New York a greener city.

Asked if he thought the presidential candidates were doing enough about issues of climate change, Gore quipped: ''I think Mike is.'' REUTERS TB BST0509