Challenging President Trump for the partys nomination in 2020. Former Massachusetts Governor bill weld and illinois congressman joe walsh were part of a forum hosted by Business Insider. [applause] good evening and welcome to Business Insider 2020 primary debate, im the politics editor anthonyfisher. And im linette lopez. Tonight we will hear from two republicans challenging President Donald Trump for their partys nomination in 2020. Former Massachusetts Governor bill weld and former illinois congressman joe walsh. Business insiders committed to providing candidates of both parties an opportunity to speak with voters and consider ideas and perspectives that dont fit in red or blue boxes. The candidates will answer questions on economics, immigration, climate, Foreign Policy and americas deepening political divide. We want to know why the candidates differ from the president and why they would do a better job. President trump did not respond to our invitation and governor sanford at a scheduling conflict. Each candidate will have 60 seconds to speak when recognized and may give an additional 30 seconds to respond to followups. Time will be deducted if not respected. Congressman walsh you will start, you have one minute for your opening statement. Thank you, Business Insider thank you, governor bill weld, its an honor to stand on the same stage. Let me start like this,the president of the United States will be impeached very soon. The president of the United States will deserve to be impeached very, very soon. Lets cut through all the craziness. Were going to spend the next hour, hour anda half talking about really important issues. Climate change, trade, whats goingon down at the border lets be clear. This is about trump. This is about that guy in the white house. I wouldnt be standing in front of you, i wouldnt be standing next to governor bill weld if donald trump wasnt president , donald trump is unfit. The lies almost every time he opens his mouth, hes a danger to this country, he cannot put anybody elses interest ahead of his own. Im not debating bill weld, ive got all the respect in the world for bill weld. Bill knows and understands what the problem is in the problem is an unfit president in the white house who took a divided country and is dividing it further. Thats the time we got to bring the country together. Governor. Thanks to Business Insider and analysts, moderators fisher and lopez. Its a great thing youre doing. My name is bill weld, im running for president as a republican so what you need to know about me as im running for president . I think all you need to know is im a very relaxed, called person and like the congressman im comfortable in my own skin unlike certain other people. And you know, im not scared of anybody. I was head of the Criminal Division of the Justice Department but more to the point i dont thinkanyone else should be scared of anybody. Im a great believer in releasing the energies of everybody in the policy and giving them all a stake in the enterprise of our shared product institutions. The congressman said its no secret the president is seeking to divide us and its really hateful. So my promise to you is if you elect me as your president , never again will you have to feel exhausted or tired on account of your governmentin washington thats supposed to be serving you. Like you and thank you both. So gentlemen, slow news day. Not much to talk about. Except about two hours ago speaker Nancy Pelosiannounced she would begin impeachment proceedings against the president of the United States for the fourth time in the history of our republic. Governor, ill start with you. You have a message for Mitch Mcconnell who seems to be the largestimpediment to a smooth impeachment proceeding mark. I have a message and i work on the nixon impeachment as some of you know years ago. And it took the house eight, 10 months to get through the investigation before he even got ready to go to the senate and when impeachment is voted by the house and goes to the senate, the house appoints six managers or prosecutors tohandle it. They make the rules. Mitch mcconnell doesnt make the rules so those people who think as soon as it goes to the senate Mitch Mcconnell can call a vote and get an acquittal run through thats not true. The house and senate take as long as they did proportionally nixon impeachment this would not be over until after the election. Meanwhile cold hard facts, trumps enemies, cold hard facts from evidence under both will have been hammered out in those proceedings. I think its a nightmare for donald trump and he has no way of stopping it for the election. Thank you governor. Congressman, do Mitch Mcconnell. Mitch mcconnell and all the republicans, how disappointing because the owner well and i will say a bunch of things about the president for the next hour and a half and i guarantee most republicans on capitol hill feel in private exactly what we say publicly. This president , you read the Mueller Report five months ago. And you understand that this president obstructed justice , that he ordered other people to live. It was clear when you read the Mueller Report this president believes hes above the law. I dont give a damn whatparty you are. No party should put up with that. This ukrainian thing today, this is just the cherry on top. So is it any surprise donald trump pick up thephone two months ago, called the president of ukraine and said you know what, im not going to give you this aid unless you dig up dirt on joe biden . Its not a surprise because lynette, donald trump was it abc news told us remonths ago you take dirt from a Foreign Government. He deserves to be impeached and everybody should keep their boots on top of these republicans so that they follow their constitution. Thats time of the next question is about this ukraine issue. And the fact the Republican Party has been silent about it. How should the American People feel about that, you can respond first. They ought to be upset. Its hard to be disappointed in donald trump anymore because this isnt a surprise. Its not. But these republicans, i was in congress eight, nine years ago. These republicans claim that they believe in the law. They believe in limited government, they believe in a restrained executive. The Republican Party establishment, i want to be careful what i say because im not lynette talking about Republican Party voters but the Republican Party establishment , they are a cold. They abandoned everything they believe in to worship this guy every single day. That should offend all of us and by the way the republican brand under this president is horrible. So i dont know why theyre defending him, theyshouldnt. Governor, you call this Ukraine Business quote, trees and pure and simple. I think the ukraine caper by the president is some commendation of treason, bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors but one thing thats clear is that its grounds for removal from office. You have a sitting president essentially selling the results of an american president ial election in which hes a candidate in the rigging it in his favor against another candidate corruptly. And of the Mueller Report makes it plain that any activity the president takes, this president to benefit himself or his family politically or financially is a corrupt action and this suspending aid and immediately calling up the president and the saying do this to kill biden and meanwhile 400 million is no longer there, how stupid are we supposed to be . How stupid is the president of the ukraine so supposed to be . He knows what mister trump is saying to him and its vastly illegal. Ive got all the respect in the world for my friend bill weld, i dont want trump hung for treason. I just want him impeached. We will talk about hanging some other time. Ill go with that. Were going to move on to the next question. Okay, this is a family show. And to all, to everyone who has read or watch Business Insider, it is no secret that i am highly critical of the president but you guys are republican and he is the head of your party and he has delivered on republican mainstays like appointing conservative judges and cutting taxes. So ill put this to you governor first, are you not concerned that running against the president could hand the white house to say, Elizabeth Warren . As governor i never met a tax cut i didnt like, i cut taxes 21 times and never raised them so im not going to criticize the tax code although it could have been more equitable but this president is not a fiscal conservative. Hes gone along with these trillion dollar deficits every year i was right most fiscally conservative governor the United States and i was governor of massachusetts after three terms of Michael Dukakis that took some doing. But we simply cant sit still for this guy who is a disgrace to the office. Almost every day congressman has said he commits some deed or other some word that makes it clear beyond any doubt that hes unfit for the office of president of the United States. I will the book on what was grounds for impeachment of the president when i was working on the nixon impeachment and every day the president transgresses that line. So no, we cant worry about the general election. All we can do is the duty thats staring us right in the face right now. Congressman, think about it. President Bernie Sanders. Ive been asked this question a bunch and is joe walsh going to weaken donald trump if he challenges him in a primary . Yes. Thats the point. I want to weaken them. I would like to beat him. Im sure governor weld is the same way. I do not want him to be our nominee. Im a conservative. You know that lynette. Governor bill weld knows that, im a conservative. I probablyagree with Bernie Sanders on that many issues. There may be a few more issues i agree one with Elizabeth Warren that we have everything our founding, we have everything our Founding Fathers feared, i dont, how old or young you are in the white house right now. Thats a hell of a lot more important than a tax cut for somebody like me. Iq. Now onto specifics of the Trump Administration. Many republicans have praised the president the regulatory push around rules around the environment. The Heritage Foundation says Trump Administration rollbacks have saved the country 33 billion in regulatory funds. So lets hear from the president talking about that two weeks ago. Workingwith republicans in congress , we 30,000 pages of regulations from the federal register. Government will no longer try to micromanage every rain puddle and every Drainage Ditch on privateland. Governor weld. Is that something republicans should be excited about . Know it is not and regulations the president is rollback our regulations to protect clean air and clean water in the United States. Im a lifelong environmentalist. Im the Republican Party has a rich tradition and conserving our environment as Theodore Roosevelt started a National Park service that goes all the way back to abraham lincoln. The clean water act and Clean Air Act were enacted when Richard Nixon waspresident. Mister trump is tossing that out the window in order to sway his unbelievable desire to do whatever might be beneficial to the Coal Companies and hes turning the country upside down because he wants if nothing else for the Coal Companies to like him. Hes a very insecure individual who have to be like and added, thats what he had his cabinet after praising going around the room at the beginning but they deserve no credit for their d regulator efforts in the environmental area. The only other rags they rollbacks are the regulation designed toprotect Little People in the event of another 2008 financial crisis. Nice work mister president. Congressman. Like every issue were going to talk about tonight its a balance. The environment and small businessmen and women in this country. You talk to small businessmen and women in this country like i have open last eight or nine years, theyve been more burdened by government regulations and a half taxes so it is a balance. We want to be good stewards of the environment. We want to acknowledge that Climate Change exists. My party too many people think its a hoax but dont forget about those small businessmen and women all over this country who have been unduly burdened by government regulations over the years. Where trying to find a balance. As gone too far . Probably yes because pretty much with everything he goes too far. Iq. Once upon a time it feels like a long time ago, republicans used to care about fiscal conservatism. They used to care about the us budget deficit which is how much more the government spends and takes in in revenue. Under president from the deficit has exploded to 1 trillion so congressman, i thought you were a deficit hot, thats how you came at the congress. Nothing disciplines me more than this. This is why i went to Congress Years agobecause were bankrupting future generations. We are bankrupting future generations in this country both parties to it and lynette, youre right. When obama was president of us republicans screamed and hollered every day about obama. Increasing the debt and deficits. Lynette is right, trump has increased the debt faster than barack obama did. Think about that area trump has increased our deficit faster than obama has but let, all of my former tea Party Colleagues in congress, what do we hear from them . Not a damn thing. Again, one more example of the Republican Party now pays 50 to trump and they forgotten about every issue that they claimed to believe in. My motto when i was in office is theres no such thing as government money, theres only taxpayer money area why is everyone in washingtonforgotten about that. Everyone not just donald trump but theres nobody looking out for the taxpayers. The dems want to raise spending but 10 percent on social programs, the republicans want to raise it on military so they demonized each other andraise enough money to get reelected , then they declare this special meeting to smoke a piece fight and agreed to compromise byraising everything 20 percent. Its a total disgrace and trump has raised it faster than anybody else. He had 1 trillion in month 10. His multiyour budget added 9 trillion. But you keep the trump taxcut, i never met a cut i didnt like. Across the board. You have to zero base the budget and not assume you start with last years appropriation. You have to measure outcomes instead of inputs which is how much money was spent last year. That should be irrelevant. Theres a good program, increase it. It wasnt you. Thats how you cut spending and i did. To add on to what the governor said, it shouldnt have been a tax cut for the wealthy which is primarily what trumps taxcut was reedited should have been a payroll tax cut, that middleclass americans would have felt that the governors right. Republicans and democrats dont get this. We have a spending problem in both parties want to spend a lot of money. And you listen to the democrats, were going to spend a lot of time wrapping on to trump tonight but you look at the democrats and there are a lot of good things they want to do but they never talk about how much these things are going to cost. Im going to give you another 30 seconds because congressman. I purposely said. Congressman, governor. In terms of putting the budget, this still did what i did when i was in office. Lets say you have a Health Program which avoids a lot of bad outcomes and delivers good savings in the health area, you might multiply that appropriation by 10 but if you have a bureaucracy that nobody can quite tell you where it came from, probably a relationship between some long dead us editor and some long equally dead chair of ways and means, you cut down to zero and thats where the big money is. You have to have the political will to do that and not say theres a bunch of sacred cows in the budget. No more sacred cows. So guys, this investment manufacturing is in a slump and Central Banks around the world are preparing for an economic slowdown. We here in the United States have already cut taxes and President Trump has already pushed the federalreserve to lower Interest Rates which it did last week. How do you get the country on the right financial footing within the first 100days . What policy do you end . One thing i would do is stop doing Foreign Policy and economic measures with taxes and just putting sanctions on everybody and tarif