(CNN) Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld announced Monday he is officially entering the race for president, becoming the first Republican to challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 race.

"Ours is a nation built on courage, resilience, and independence. In these times of great political strife, when both major parties are entrenched in their 'win at all cost' battles, the voices of the American people are being ignored and our nation is suffering," Weld, who had previously formed an exploratory committee , said in a statement.

"It is time for patriotic men and women across our great nation to stand and plant a flag. 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 2016, Weld was the vice presidential nominee on the Libertarian Party ticket with former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. He previously served two terms as the governor of Massachusetts in the early 1990s.

Weld ran for Senate in Massachusetts in 1996 and lost against John Kerry. He later moved to New York and in 2005 unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor.

Read More</s>A former governor of Massachusetts has become the first Republican to challenge Donald Trump, the US president, for the party's nomination in 2020.

Bill Weld, 73, announced his candidacy on Monday night and has accused Mr Trump of leaving the country in "grave peril", saying his "priorities are skewed toward promotion of himself rather than for the good of the country".

Mr Weld, who is one of Massachusetts's most successful governors, ran for vice president on the Libertarian Party ticket in 2016.

He is the first Republican to challenge Mr Trump in the 2020 race, saying "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," he said.

The move by Mr Weld makes Mr Trump the first incumbent president since George HW Bush in 1992 to face a notable primary challenge.</s>A former Republican Governor has become the first to challenge President Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 elections. Bill Weld, 73, will take on Donald Trump to become the next presidential nominee of the Republican party. Mr Weld has released a campaign video which showcases his political style against the current president’s.

The 73-year-old is not new to politics having governed Massachusetts for six years and served in the justice department under President Ronald Reagan. He was also the running mate on the Libertarian ticket during the 2016 presidential election. But he may struggle to win over a Republican Party that has been reshaped to suit Trump. The businessman and attorney has not always had an easy relationship with the party he now seeks to lead.

He endorsed the Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama over Republican nominee John McCain, in 2008 - but late said he regretted it. Bill Weld is a businessman and attorney who was Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. He was born in Smithton New York and studied at Harvard University. One of Weld's Harvard classmates told New York Magazine that Weld was famous for playing three games of chess simultaneously while blindfolded. He was married to Susan Roosevelt from 1975 to 2002 and they had five children together. He married his current wife Leslie Marshall in 2003.
• Abortion: Weld supports abortion rights and has fought to protect them.
• As governor in 1991, he introduced a bill aiming to make it easier to get an abortion in Massachusetts.
• Same-sex marriage: While governor, Weld recognized domestic partnership rights for same-sex couples and signed legislation protecting gay and lesbian students. He also signed a 2013 amicus brief in support of same-sex marriage.
• Marijuana: Weld sits on the board of directors of Acreage Holdings, a cannabis company looking to roll back federal regulations, the Washington Post reports. He has supported legalization of medical marijuana since 1992.
• Economy: Despite his more progressive social views, Weld is a traditional conservative when it comes to the economy, prioritizing cutting spending and cutting taxes.
• Climate change: Weld supports rejoining the Paris climate agreement, according to Boston.com.

In Mr Weld’s three-minute campaign video he’s eager to flag his credentials as a former Governor of Massachusetts. The video showcases Mr Weld’s apparently reserved manner and pits it against Trump. Clips of Trump’s controversial statements about women are cut into the video by means of contrast. The campaign promo ends with the slogan: “A better America Starts Here.” "I really think if we have six more years of the same stuff we've had out of the White House the last two years that would be a political tragedy," he said on CNN. "So I would be ashamed of myself if I didn't raise my hand and run." Party leaders have quickly rejected Weld’s campaign which make things look difficult for him in the long run. A statement from the Republican National Committee said: “Any effort to challenge the president's nomination is bound to go absolutely nowhere.” According to the most recent Gallup poll, 89% of Republican voters approve of the current president. Mr Trump's campaign said on Sunday it had raised more than $30m in the first quarter of this year. This sum outpaces the political funding of individual Democratic candidates.</s>On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld (R) announced he is running for president in 2020 as a Republican.

Weld said, “I’m announcing that I’m running for president of the United States as a Republican against President Trump in 2020. … I really think if we have six more years of the same stuff we’ve had out of the White House the last two years, that would be a political tragedy, and I would fear for the republic. So, I would be ashamed of myself if I didn’t raise my hand and run.”

Weld later stated that he doesn’t think he would run as an independent if he doesn’t win the Republican nomination. He added, “I could not support Donald Trump for president. I’m not saying I would ever endorse a Democrat in this race, but I could not support the president.”</s>Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld became the first Republican to formally challenge President Donald Trump for the 2020 presidential nomination from the GOP. On Monday, Weld issued a statement announcing his candidacy for the White House.

"I'm announcing that I'm running for president of the United States as a Republican against President Trump in 2020. ... I really think if we have six more years of the same stuff we've had out of the White House the last two years, that would be a political tragedy, and I would fear for the republic. So, I would be ashamed of myself if I didn't raise my hand and run," Weld said on Monday's broadcast of CNN's "The Lead."

Weld also took to his Twitter account to announce the news and released a three-minute-long video highlighting his achievements during his two terms as governor of Massachusetts in the 1990s.

"Ours is a nation built on courage, resilience, and independence. In these times of great political strife, when both major parties are entrenched in their 'win at all cost' battles, the voices of the American people are being ignored and our nation is suffering," Weld, who has been a vocal Trump critic, said in a statement.

"It is time for patriotic men and women across our great nation to stand and plant a flag. 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."

Weld was governor of Massachusetts from 1991-97 after serving in the Justice Department under President Ronald Reagan. He ran for Senate from Massachusetts in 1996 and lost against John Kerry. The Smithtown, New York-born is currently a partner at Mintz Levin law firm, member of the Council on Foreign Relations and associate member of the InterAction Council.

The announcement of Weld's 2020 bid comes after he said in February he had formed a presidential exploratory committee, a move that enabled him to raise money for a White House run.

"We have a president whose priorities are skewed towards promotion of himself rather than for the good of the country," Weld said at a recent gathering in New Hampshire, which holds an influential early nominating contest. "He may have great energy and considerable raw talent, but he does not use that in ways that promote democracy, truth, justice and equal opportunity for all. To compound matters, our president is simply too unstable to carry out the duties of the highest executive office in the land."

At the New Hampshire gathering, Weld described himself as a "Republican who works across the aisle and gets things done," and said he would have a "bipartisan Cabinet" if he won the presidency.

In the video he released Monday, Weld showcased clips of some of Trump's most controversial moments. These included Trump's infamous "Access Hollywood" video of him using lewd language to boast of his sexual groping and kissing of women without their consent, to the president's comments in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12, 2017.

The video finishes with the slogan: "A Better America Starts Here."

Despite criticism, Trump still holds 89 percent of Republican voters' approval as the president, according to the most recent Gallup poll. If Trump continues to retain his high popularity among Republicans, it may be very difficult for any challenger to defeat him in a contest for the GOP nomination.

A recent article on FiveThirtyEight, a website that focuses on opinion poll analysis, called Weld potentially "one of the weakest candidates that anti-Trump Republicans could put up in a national campaign."

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan have also been mentioned in recent months as potential party challengers to Trump.

This article originally appeared in IBTimes US.</s>WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld officially announced that he will challenge President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination for president in 2020.



Announcing his presidential bid during an appearance on CNN, the 73-year old candidate said, 'I really think if we have six more years of the same stuff we've had out of the White House the last two years that would be a political tragedy.'



'It is time to return to the principles of Lincoln - equality, dignity, and opportunity for all', Weld said in a statement.



In his presidential announcement video, contrasting his style with Trump, Weld touted his experience of serving in the Justice Department under President Ronald Reagan.



He was the governor of Massachusetts for two terms, from 1991 to 1997. 



Weld is the first Republican to challenge Trump, who had announced well in advance that he is running for a second term in 2020.



Weld, who in 2016 ran for Vice President as Gary Johnson's running mate on the Libertarian Party ticket, has previously said he plans to garner support among independent and millennial voters during the Republican primary.



But he faces an uphill task to take over the GOP, as its leadership in January issued a resolution to declare the party's undivided support for Trump.



In an instant response to the news of Weld's candidacy, the Republican National Committee said, 'Any effort to challenge the president's nomination is bound to go absolutely nowhere.'



The billionaire President is well ahead of his potential Democratic opponents in raising money for the campaign, as he reportedly amassed $30 million in the first quarter of this year.



On the other side, the democratic list of presidential aspirants is expanding, which contains a record number of women and looks set to be the most diverse ever.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX</s>Weld says he is seeking GOP nomination for president in 2020

Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld says he is seeking the Republican nomination against President Donald Trump in 2020.

Weld said Monday in announcing his candidacy that “it is time to return to the principles of Lincoln — equality, dignity and opportunity for all.” He said, in his words, “There is no greater cause on earth than to preserve what truly makes America great. I am ready to lead that fight.”

READ MORE: A Comey candidacy? Nope, just an April Fool’s Day joke

Weld was the 2016 Libertarian vice-presidential nominee. He served two terms as Massachusetts governor in the 1990s.

Weld’s move makes Trump the first incumbent president since George H.W. Bush in 1992 to face a notable primary challenge.

The Republican National Committee in January issued a nonbinding resolution to declare the party’s undivided support for Trump.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.</s>WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld announced his candidacy on Monday to challenge President Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination.

Weld, 73, who served two terms as governor, from 1991-1997, enters as a long-shot candidate against an incumbent president who has remained popular within his party. Weld in February had said that he planned to challenge Trump.

"I really think if we have six more years of the same stuff we´ve had out of the White House the last two years that would be a political tragedy," he said on CNN. "So I would be ashamed of myself if I didn´t raise my hand and run."

Weld's challenge marks the first against Trump by a member of his own party. Other Republicans have publicly flirted with their own challenges, including former Ohio Governor John Kasich, one of the many Republican candidates whom Trump defeated for the party's presidential nomination in 2016.

But Republican leaders have signaled little tolerance for intra-party fights as Trump gears up for a potentially challenging bid for a second term.

"Any effort to challenge the president´s nomination is bound to go absolutely nowhere," the Republican National Committee said in statement responding to Weld's announcement, noting that its operation and the Republican Party are firmly behind Trump.

Weld, a former prosecutor and the vice presidential candidate in 2016 on the Libertarian ticket, has been a consistent critic of Trump. He told CNN that he does not plan to mount an independent bid if unsuccessful.

Weld planned to kick off his campaign in New Hampshire, which holds an influential early nominating contest. He said the state's voters would be receptive to his message and familiar with his record in neighboring Massachusetts.

"Right now, all there really is coming out of Washington is divisiveness," he said on CNN, calling both parties responsible but pointedly adding, "the grand master of that is the president himself."

Trump's campaign raised more than $30 million in the first quarter of 2019, it said on Sunday, far outpacing the sums raised by individual Democratic candidates during that period. The fundraising underscores the willingness of Republican donors to invest in Trump's re-election bid. (Additional reporting by Eric Beech, James Oliphant, Steve Holland and Doina Chiacu; editing by Leslie Adler and Cynthia Osterman)</s>Former Massachusetts governor William Weld became the only Republican candidate challenging President Donald Trump for the party's nomination in 2020.

'It is time for patriotic men and women across our great nation to stand and plant a flag. 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,' Weld said in a statement Monday, 'I am ready to lead that fight.'

Weld's campaign released a video on Sunday that outlined his accomplishments and made the case for why American needs Weld to challenge Trump.

'Today we need Bill Weld more than ever,' it says in the three-and-a-half minute video.

Weld ran for vice president in 2016 as a libertarian and said back in February that he was launching a committee to explore a Republican run against Trump.

When announcing his consideration of a run, he said that Trump was 'too unstable to carry out the duties of the highest office the land.'

'I'm here because I think our country is in grave peril,' Weld told an audience in the early primary state of New Hampshire. 'And I cannot sit quietly on the sidelines any longer.'

'We cannot sit passively as our precious democracy slips quietly into darkness. Congress must do its duty and citizens we must do ours.'

Weld's entry into the race marks the first direct head-on challenge to Trump.

Campaign manger for Trump's 2016 campaign, Corey Lewandowski, said that Weld is a 'loser' and a 'clown.'

'Republican Bill Weld makes it official: He's challenging Trump for GOP presidential nomination. This guy is a total loser. He hasn't been elected in 25 years. Clown!' Lewandowski tweeted Monday, shortly after Weld announced.

'He has virtually spat on the idea that we should have freedom of the press,' Weld said at the time he announced launching an exploratory committee. 'He has failed to call out and denounce appalling instances of racism.'

'We have a president whose priorities are skewed toward promotion of himself rather than toward the good of the country.'

Weld, 73, served as governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997.

He was Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson's vice presidential running mate in the 2016 presidential election, criticizing Trump at every turn. He switched his affiliation back to Republican in March – a month before announcing.

In the past, Weld noted that four of the last nine incumbent presidents to run for second terms faced primary battles within their own parties. All four lost re-election.

Weld wouldn't say whether he would support Trump in 2020, should the president win renomination at the GOP's convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

'I find the current incumbent a difficult act to swallow. I'm not sure,' he said in February, predicting that other Republicans might want to join the race and challenge Trump now that he did.

It does not appear that there are any other obvious Republicans that would take on Trump. Even though former Ohio governor John Kasich said he's 'considering it.'

It's 'important that the incumbent be challenged, even confronted,' Weld said.

The Democratic filed is already crowded, with 18 candidates vying for the nomination.</s>A former governor of Massachusetts has become the first Republican to challenge President Donald Trump for the nomination for US president in 2020.

A former governor of Massachusetts has become the first Republican to challenge President Donald Trump for the nomination for US president in 2020.

William Weld, 73, said in announcing his candidacy that “it is time to return to the principles of Lincoln — equality, dignity and opportunity for all”.

He said, “There is no greater cause on earth than to preserve what truly makes America great. I am ready to lead that fight.”

Mr Weld has accused Mr Trump of leaving the nation in “grave peril” and has said his “priorities are skewed toward promotion of himself rather than for the good of the country”.

While Mr Trump’s overall approval ratings have been poor for much of his presidency, he remains popular with Republican voters.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) in January issued a nonbinding resolution to declare the party’s undivided support for Mr Trump.

The move by Mr Weld makes Mr Trump the first incumbent president since George HW Bush in 1992 to face a notable primary challenge.

Mr Trump’s campaign has taken extraordinary steps in cementing control over the RNC and the broader nomination process as it seeks to minimise the risk of any potential challenger doing the same to the president.

His campaign recently reported raising 30 million dollars in the first quarter of this year, while Democrats are raising less money than in previous cycles.

Fiscally conservative but socially liberal, Mr Weld is known for an unconventional, at times quirky, political style and a long history of friction with the party he now seeks to lead.

Mr Weld endorsed Democrat Barack Obama over Republican nominee John McCain in 2008, later saying it was a mistake to do so, and has enjoyed a decadeslong friendship with the Clintons, which began early in his career when he served alongside Hillary Clinton as a lawyer for the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate proceedings.

With little in the way of organisation or outside money, and at odds with a majority of Republican voters who solidly support Mr Trump, Mr Weld’s longshot campaign will target disaffected Republicans and independents who share his disdain for the president and embrace libertarian values of small government, free trade and free markets, and personal freedom.

Despite a pledge to libertarians that he would remain loyal to the party going forward, Mr Weld on January 17 walked into the clerk’s office of the Massachusetts town where he lives and re-registered with the Republican Party, adding to speculation that he would challenge Mr Trump in the primaries.

Mr Weld has not won a political race since being re-elected governor by a landslide in his heavily Democratic state in 1994.

He was first elected to the office in 1990, defeating a conservative Democratic candidate, and quickly became one of Massachusetts’ most popular governors in recent history.
Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld announces he is running for the Republican Party's nomination to be President of the United States in the 2020 presidential election, the first Republican to officially challenge incumbent President Donald Trump.