Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld took aim at President Trump on Saturday, declaring his intention to win the Republican primary.
The 73-year-old White House hopeful, who ran as the vice presidential nominee in 2016 for the Libertarian Party, said that he has the experience and the temperament needed to take on someone like Trump, whom he says fundamentally lacks the basic knowledge required by the office.
“Before he was elected president of the United States, he was a New York City and Palm Beach socialite judging beauty contests and employed in the reality television industry. That’s no preparation, with all respect, for being the president of the United States,” Weld said about Trump in a CNN appearance Saturday. “I’m not saying it’s his fault. I’m saying he’s kind of a fish out of water. I think as the campaign goes on, that idea is going to take root.”
A number of disaffected Republicans are looking to recruit a primary candidate against Trump, the Washington Examiner has reported, but Weld hasn’t stoked their interest. Names in the mix instead include Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, among others, though both Hogan and Kasich have both signaled their disinterest.
Weld said he is not a spoiler — “the intention is to win” — but a serious candidate.
“I thought candidly for the last 10 or 15 years I could start Monday in that job at 1600 Pennsylvania,” said Weld. “I have a mix of domestic and international experience that would fit me for the job. Which is more than I can say for the current incumbent, who specializes in buzzwords and platitudes, which he flings about for all their worth.”
Weld announced his campaign for the Republican nomination early last month in New Hampshire, citing the need for an alternative voice within the Republican Party.
This week, former Florida governor and 2016 Trump competitor Jeb Bush echoed the sentiment, saying that he wished to see someone take on Trump in the primary process.
