Mayor Michael Bloomberg calls real estate tycoon Donald Trump a friend and says "anybody can run for president if you're 35 and an American citizen."
Bloomberg tells "Fox News Sunday" that Trump is "a New York icon." But the mayor is shying away from talking up Trump's flirtation with the presidency.
Bloomberg, an independent, also says President Barack Obama "was born here" and the mayor thinks Republicans "are making a terrible mistake in making this is a big issue."
Trump, who's deciding whether to run in 2012, and other potential contenders have raised questions about whether Obama was born in the United States.
Bloomberg says it's time for the Republican Party to address issues that "the public cares about."
Copyright AP - Associated Press
