Bill Weld in Interviews during 2017-2019

On Foreign Policy: China promised two systems for Hong Kong; we're watching

A: China's behavior should be a wake-up call for the United States, its allies, friends, and partners. While the US can and must do business with China, it can have no illusions about the type of state China is and about its ambitions. It also needs to be clear that it will not accept China continuing to follow the old line, "we're big, you're small. What don't you understand?" It is not acceptable in the 21st century. China should have no doubt that the world knows what it is doing, and is watching. China promised the peoples of Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and the world, at the 1997 handover ceremony which I attended in Hong Kong, that there would be and could be two systems in a single country. If China takes a punitive approach, China will demonstrate that its political word is suspect. The implications for Taiwan, a real Chinese democracy, are ominous.

On Foreign Policy: Support democracy, the rule of law, and prosperity in Africa

A: We should be thrilled that a continent that was historically underdeveloped and a playground for outside powers is finally growing in wealth as well as population and able to make its voice heard on the world stage. And we should be forging relationships with African countries to support democracy, the rule of law, and prosperity. In some countries, the Catholic Church could be helpful to our efforts. Right now we are getting our brains beat in by China in courting African nations, because we simply don't make it a high enough priority. In my Administration, the Secretary of State for African Affairs would have my ear. On security matters, we and our allies need to continue to help Africa fight terrorists. Al Qaeda offshoots pose a threat to the entire continent, not just the sub-Sahara.

On Foreign Policy: Multi-party talks to resolve Venezuelan situation

A: We have to go through Cuba, China and Russia to rationalize the situation in Venezuela. Most of the top decision makers there are Cuban, which has hollowed out Venezuela's government, & the spillover into our ally Colombia has been dramatic. I would propose multi-party talks, in which the dynamic new Pres. Duque of Colombia, who greatly impressed me recently in Cartagena, could perhaps play a role.

On War & Peace: Unlimited military aid to Ukraine against Russian incursion

A: Ukraine, while not a NATO member, is an EU partner and a treaty-recognized buffer zone between Russia and NATO. Ukraine has a sizeable population and economic zone whose seizure would be a major first step toward reconstituting the old Soviet Union's borders and corresponding influence--for Putin, it is therefore a major opportunity if it could be seized intact. Conversely, Ukraine has shown itself willing to fight and take losses in blood and treasure. Allowing Ukraine to fall would effectively "Finlandize" Europe, to the extent it has not already been. Accordingly, I would provide military aid to Ukraine--as much as was necessary. I would make it clear that if the Ukrainians wanted to defend their territory, we would help, and further incursions would be costly. I would continue to hold exercises in Eastern Europe and look at ways to defend the Baltics.

On War & Peace: Supports Israeli-Palestinian two-state solution

A: The question suggests outsiders can "solve" the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I think it is up to the Israelis and Palestinians to come to an arrangement, and for us to support their efforts. If there is a deal to be made that's acceptable to both, we should get behind it, but the timing for further negotiations is going to have to be driven by events and by the parties themselves. Having said all that, I am personally very much in favor of a two-state solution, and I believe, as my friend Shimon Peres always maintained, that multi-state economic development projects and trade are the sinews of peace.

On War & Peace: Withdrawing from Iran nuke deal was a colossal blunder

A: I thought that Mr. Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 JCPOA was a colossal blunder. We had a ten-year period during which Iran would not advance its nuclear weapons program, and they were in compliance. I would rejoin the JCPOA without changes to the written agreement.

On War & Peace: Partial sanction relief for partial Korean denuclearization

A: "Partial" and "some" imply matters of degree, but yes, I think a partial dismantling of North Korea's nuclear weapons program is a development worth promoting, and of course such an agreement might prove to be the first step to a fuller resolution.

On Principles & Values: All states should hold primaries, not just re-nominate Trump

It would be a critical mistake to allow the Democratic Party to dominate the national conversation during primary and caucus season. In the United States, citizens choose their leaders. The primary nomination process is the only opportunity for Republicans to have a voice in deciding who will represent our party. Let those voices be heard.

On Budget & Economy: There's no such thing as government money

On Foreign Policy: Foreign-owned debt poses national security problem

On Civil Rights: Republican Party should reject immoral choice of racism

He added: "The national Republican Party, has a choice. And a lot of them like to think that it's a political choice. But it's not a political choice. It's a moral choice. Unless the Republican Party in Washington expressly, expressly rejects the racism of Donald Trump, they're going to come to be universally viewed as the party of racism in America."

On Principles & Values: 2016 election: Johnson-Weld exceeded 3.6% of vote in MI & WI

The Libertarian Party had never before received more than 1.1% of the vote in a presidential election. But with NM Gov. Gary Johnson and former MA Gov. William Weld serving as their ticket, the party rocketed to 3.24% of the vote. In two of the critical states that Trump flipped, MI and WI, Johnson topped 3.6%. In Pennsylvania, the third normally Democratic stronghold that voted GOP, Johnson received 2.4%.

It is not clear from the polling, but one of the reasons for Trump's surprise victory was the cratering in support for Johnson in the waning months of the election. In September, he was polling at 9%, which fell off heavily by Election Day.

On Principles & Values: Quit Reagan Justice Department over ethics scandals

Weld, a 2-term Republican governor of Massachusetts more than two decades ago, is 73, tall and slim with a mop of orange hair and a face the hue of Pepto-Bismol. A Harvard and Oxford graduate, Weld worked in the Reagan Justice Department but quit over a series of ethics scandals involving his boss, Attorney General Ed Meese. He ran briefly for governor of New York after leaving Massachusetts, endorsed Obama in 2008 & raised a bunch of money for Romney in 2012. He has written thrillers, dabbled in historical fiction and was last heard from in 2016 as the vice-presidential running mate to the Libertarian nominee, Gary Johnson. He sets off some dilettante alarms.

On Families & Children: 2000: Supported Family Leave Act, except paid leave

On Technology: Teach skill sets for tech jobs of the future

On Abortion: Remove anti-abortion language from GOP platform

• Weld publicly fought to remove anti-abortion language from the Republican Party platform in the 1990s, to the dismay of social conservatives.
• Weld's liberal stance on social issues often earned him the ire of the GOP, and helped block his nomination to be ambassador of Mexico under President Bill Clinton.

On Budget & Economy: Balance the Federal budget as states do

On Budget & Economy: Top priority: zero-based budgeting; cut spending; cut taxes

On Civil Rights: Supports gay marriage

• Weld signed the amicus brief to overturn California's Prop 8, which outlawed gay marriage, but LGBT rights advocates say he's shifted his stance on gay marriage in the past.
• Weld's liberal stance on social issues often earned him the ire of the GOP, and helped block his nomination to be ambassador of Mexico under President Bill Clinton.
• The late North Carolina Republican senator and vocal segregationist Jesse Helms once accused Weld of perpetuating a "militant homosexual agenda."

On Drugs: Accept benefits of cannabis; allow vets and seniors to use

On Education: Control of education by states and parents, more choice

On Energy & Oil: Climate change dangers are real; rejoin Paris Accords

On Free Trade: Return to free trade; tariffs counterproductive

On Government Reform: Blow up unnecessary state agencies

• Economy and government: Supports cutting taxes and reigning in spending. Opposes Trump's tariffs.
• A fiscal conservative, as Massachusetts' governor Weld reigned in spending, cut taxes some 15 times, and vetoed minimum wage hikes.
• He's a free trader who said in 2016 that candidate Donald Trump's "huge unilateral tariffs" would damage the world economy.
• Weld promised to "blow up" unnecessary state agencies after taking office as governor in 1991. As a Libertarian candidate in 2016, he pledged to cut the federal government by 20 percent to reduce waste.

On Health Care: Supports increased Medicaid access

On Health Care: More consumer choice instead of single-payer

On Immigration: Trump's deportation policy is like Nazi Germany

• Immigration and border security: Opposes Trump's deportation policies. Supports some form of legal status for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.
• In 2016, Weld was highly critical of Trump's rhetoric around immigration, and twice compared then-candidate Trump's proposals to deport Mexican and Central American immigrants to the Nazi period in Germany.
• Weld has also called for the federal government to issue more H1B work visas, calling it an economic imperative for the U.S. workforce to stay globally and economically competitive.

On Immigration: Guest worker program rather than path to citizenship

On Jobs: In-state training for displaced workers, including on-line

The skills required by the new jobs correspond roughly to the skills now taught in the first two years of post-secondary education, or the community college level. We should adjust our budget priorities to cover the cost of in-state tuition for those displaced workers, as we did for our returning veterans under the G.I. Bill. To cut down on room and board expense, we should encourage and embrace on-line education. It has now been proved that distance learning is as effective as learning in a bricks and mortar classroom, so we should take advantage of that.

On Principles & Values: Government leaders should inspire and unite, not divide

On Tax Reform: Cut capital gains tax; look at flat tax on income

But we also need to restructure our entire tax system. We don't need to choose between Robin Hood-style confiscatory taxation and deficit-creating tax cuts for the super-rich. We should instead take a good long look at some other models, such as a 19% flat tax on income, and the famous "post card" tax return. I have read extensively on the subject, and I believe the savings from the dramatic simplification of the Internal Revenue Code and the whole process of taxation would be enormous.

On War & Peace: Supports non-nuclear proliferation efforts

On War & Peace: Don't use military for regime change

On Welfare & Poverty: Have private sector take over social services

On War & Peace: Supports libertarian "restraint" on military action