Weld Says He Is A Calming Alternative To Trump

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld addresses students and guests during a campaign stop Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019, at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.

Arjun Singh is a producer for Boston Public Radio. A California native, Arjun moved to Boston to study international relations at Boston University. Prior to working at WGBH, Arjun worked at a tech company and for a political campaign.

March 03, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

Former Republican Gov. Bill Weld is different than President Donald Trump. Weld believes in climate change and favors putting a price on carbon commissions. He believes that economic inequality is a serious problem and that it could lead to more problems if it’s not addressed in the present. The biggest difference between him and Trump? He embraces bipartisanship.

“He’s very divisive. He gets people all caught up and angry at other people, whether it’s immigrants or people with a better job, he just sows division and stirs up anger, and I think that’s part of his political strategy and I think that’s very dangerous,” Weld said during an interview with Boston Public Radio on Tuesday. “I think we need a calming influence.”

Weld also said that, if elected, he would change the political atmosphere in Washington, D.C. Harkening back to his time as governor, where he worked with a heavily Democratic legislature, Weld said he would bring the same style of governing with him to the Oval Office.

“I would be [a] bipartisan cabinet [and] reach across the aisle. I would change the atmosphere in Washington, D.C. on day one,” Weld said. “I did it in [Massachusetts], I can do it in DC.”