Fresh off his uninspiring 2016 run for the White House as part of Gary Johnson’s Libertarian Party ticket, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld announced Monday that he would challenge President Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican nomination. Giving new definition to the term “longshot,” Weld introduced his candidacy with a three-minute video highlighting his record of achievements while getting a headstart on the attack ads we’ll soon see from the Democratic Party.
“It is time for patriotic men and women across our great nation to stand and plant a flag,” said Weld in a statement accompanying the video. “It is time to return to the principles of Lincoln – equality, dignity, and opportunity for all. There is no greater cause on earth than to preserve what truly makes America great. I am ready to lead that fight.”
In the introductory video, Weld interspersed clips of Trump on the Access Hollywood bus and his press conference after the Charlottesville, Virginia violence. Perhaps he believes there is still someone in America who hasn’t seen these clips a million times. Then again, he apparently believes that he has a shot at dethroning the incumbent president in the primaries, so there’s no telling the depths of Bill Weld’s delusions.
Weld’s quixotic quest to save the Republican Party from Donald Trump drew derisive scorn from campaign adviser Lara Trump, who is married to the president’s son, Eric. In remarks to Fox News, she had nothing but contempt for Weld’s announcement.
“I don’t know why someone would be dumb enough to challenge Donald Trump,” she said. “I don’t know why anybody would waste their time and money on the Republican end trying to challenge the president. We’re not worried about that at all.”
CNN captured the excitement surrounding the primary fight with some uncharacteristic understatement: “Bill Weld will have a lot of trouble beating Donald Trump,” wrote political correspondent Grace Sparks.
She’s not wrong. In a recent survey, only 8% of registered Republicans said they would support Bill Weld over the sitting president. That’s compared to 54% of Republican voters who say they are ride-or-die with Trump. Anything can happen in the wacky world of politics, but we’ve never seen anything about Weld, his ideology, or his charisma that makes us believe he can overcome those nearly-insurmountable disadvantages.
What he can do, unfortunately, is distract and weaken Trump heading into the general election, which is why Weld’s campaign should be viewed with scorn as well as mockery. This is a guy who actively encouraged his own voters to cast their ballots for Clinton in 2016. We’re sure he’ll be happy to give the eventual Democratic nominee the same endorsement. Disgraceful.
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