Bill Weld’s message for voters in swing states: stop #Trump, vote for Hillary Clinton. pic.twitter.com/RdNmla8l4x
— Correct The Record (@CorrectRecord) November 2, 2016
Vice presidential candidates are overshadowed by their running mates by design. Unlike Sarah Palin, this election’s major party VP picks (Mike Pence and Tim Kaine) both oblige by this rule. On Libertarian ticket, this also occurs, although Bill Weld has been pushed away by the very party (which considers him to be too conservative) that he represents.
On Tuesday, Weld paid a solo visit to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, who wanted to know how he felt about sucking up 5% of the vote without a chance to win, which could effectively prevent Hillary Clinton from beating Donald Trump. Here’s how Weld responded:
“I’m here vouching for Mrs. Clinton, and I think it’s high time somebody did. I’m doing it based on my personal experience with her, and I think that she deserves to have people vouch for her other than members of the Democratic National Committee.”
Despite this near-endorsement, Weld admitted that he and Johnson aren’t dropping out of the race. Weld admitted he’d cast a vote for his own ticket, although he recognizes that he and Johnson don’t have the faintest chance of winning. But he still wanted to spend more time emphasizing how folks scrutinize Clinton’s character (and hold her accountable) much more than they do with her opponent:
“I have a lot to say about Mrs. Clinton that has not been said by others recently and I think needs to be said. I’ve known her for 40 years. I’ve worked with her, I know her well professionally, I know her well personally, I know her to be a person of high moral character, a reliable person, and an honest person. However so much Mr. Trump may rant and rave to the contrary. So I’m happy to say that and people can make their own choices.”
Weld also notably departs from Johnson on the renewed FBI focus on Clinton-related emails. Johnson feels that Comey’s doing the right thing, whereas Weld stands in opposition of Comey’s announcement of an investigation so close to an election.
In this interview, Weld comes off as levelheaded, especially in the face of Johnson, who is alternately losing it and enjoying gaffes on the campaign trail. Weld does feel that when it comes down to Trump and Clinton, the choice is an easy one: “I fear for the country if Mr. Trump should be elected.”
Here’s the full Maddow interview with Bill Weld.
