https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/1...t-trump-1170989Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld said on Friday that he is exploring a challenge to President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in 2020.
“Our president is simply too unstable to carry out the duties of the highest executive office in the land,” Weld said as he announced the launch of an exploratory committee at Politics & Eggs in Bedford, N.H. The breakfast program is considered a must for 2020 hopefuls in the early-voting state.
“I'm here because I think our country is in grave peril and I cannot sit any longer quietly on the sidelines,” Weld added. “We have a president who openly praises and encourages despotic and authoritarian leaders abroad while going out of his way seemingly to insult and even humiliate our Democratic allies.”
Weld's most recent foray into politics was a 2016 run for vice president on the Libertarian ticket alongside former presidential candidate and New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. By jumping in as the first Republican to challenge Trump's reelection, Weld is likely to draw attention. The former governor currently works at ML Strategies, and took a leave from the Boston-based consulting firm in 2016 to run alongside Johnson.
At the Libertarian Party's 2016 convention, Weld said he was a "Libertarian for life." He continued courting Libertarian groups after November, but appears to have done an about-face for 2020. Leading up to Friday's announcement, there was some speculation as to whether Weld would run as a Republican or a Libertarian. Just a week ago, Weld registered as a Republican, CommonWealth Magazine first reported.