Republican former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld

Former Massachusetts Governor and 2020 presidential candidate Bill Weld said he’s the kind of Republican that wants to keep the government out of your pocketbook and out of your bedroom.

But, he said, that line didn’t fair well at the Republican National Convention in Houston in 1992. Weld is the only Republican to declare a candidacy so far. He also ran for president in 1996 and was involved in Mitt Romney’s campaign in 2008.

Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld is set to speak first at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox. A lot of ponchos this drizzly Sunday morning. pic.twitter.com/JP9L1BKWCH

— Daily Iowan Politics (@DIpolitics) August 11, 2019

Weld said New England Republicans are fiscally conservative, but socially they are embracing and welcome. Weld has a background of supporting issues like making abortion services more accessible, supporting same-sex marriage, and working to reduce federal regulations on the sale of marijuana.

“I’d like to see a 99-year sentence not for the doctor who performed the abortion, but for the rapist who didn’t support the child,” Weld said, receiving applause from the crowd.

Weld said he’s running for president to unify the country, and to make Americans feel good about being Americans.

“I have no apologies about challenging [President Trump] here because he’s not a real Republican,” Weld said.

Weld condemned Trump, saying that he has divided the country and pointed to Trump’s rhetoric around immigration policies. He also said Trump has a one-word platform like using the words “wall” and “hoax.”

Weld says he leans libertarian side of the Republican Party, supporting the choice of individuals. He ran as a running mate to Libertarian Gary Johnson in the 2016 presidential election.

— Daily Iowan Politics (@DIpolitics) August 11, 2019

Weld touted himself as a fiscal conservative, and said Trump does not support free trade and that rich are too rich and the poor are too poor. He also said leaders in Washington D.C. view taxpayer’s money as their own to carelessly spend.

“I’ve never met a tax cut I didn’t like,” Weld said, adding that he cut taxes 21 times during his two terms as the Massachusetts governor.

Ben Speck, of New Providence said he was looking to support Bill Weld. He voted for the Libertarian ticket in 2016, and said none of the Democratic candidates stood out to him.
"Im looking more for a moderate," he said.

— Daily Iowan Politics (@DIpolitics) August 11, 2019

Weld said that while he would work to reduce carbon emissions in the country, he does not support the Green New Deal and called climate change a misnomer. He said he would instead increase an earned income tax credit for working class families and increase the use of nuclear energy. Weld said he thinks nuclear energy, when used in small amounts, could be a good solution to prevent ice caps from melting, because nuclear energy is carbonless and produces a limitless amount of electricity.

Weld answered a crowd question about his position on gun legislation, and he said he does not support a “super-charged background check system.” He said he would instead support red-flag laws, meaning if an individual who owned a gun was reported for exhibiting violent behavior, they would have an opportunity to testify in court.