Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld is ending his 2020 Republican presidential campaign.
Weld —who was Trump’s last Republican primary challenger — took to social media on Wednesday to share his announcement with his followers.
“With deep gratitude to all who have stood with me during the past eleven months in our effort to bring better government to Washington D.C., I am today suspending my candidacy for President of the United States,” Weld said.
In the statement, Weld also challenged Trump to make changes to the federal budget and issue more work visas for immigrant workers.
“The reason that people all over the world look to the United States for leadership, as they do, is our dedication to the rule of law under our Constitution,” Weld wrote.
“It is therefore of the highest importance that the executive branch of the United States and the U.S. Justice Department, observe the rule of law in all cases and do justice without fear or favor. Without that we will truly have lost our compass.”
Check out Weld’s full statement below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B941BedDCpC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Weld’s announcement comes a day after President Donald Trump officially claimed the Republican presidential nomination, according to Fox News.
Following Tuesday’s primary, Trump won the election in Arizona, Florida, and Illinois. As the results were announced, the president surpassed 1,276 delegate threshold — the number needed to clinch the nomination.
Weld was the first Republican to challenge Trump and the last to withdraw from the race.
The other Republican candidates were former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.).
Sarah Longwell, a Republican strategist displeased with Trump’s leadership, applauded Weld for his efforts and courage to stand against the president.
“I applaud Bill Weld for doing this for the right reasons in the first place and hanging in there as long as he could,” Longwell said. “It was important that somebody stood up and made the case against Trump.”