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WEBVTT THE MOST FERTILE GROUND FOR A PRIMARY CHALLENGE TO THE PRESIDENT. ADAM SEXTON, WMUR NEWS 9. TOM: TONIGHT, NEWS 9 HAS LEARNED THAT FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR BILL WELD PLANS TO MAKE A MOVE THIS FRIDAY TOWARDS RUNNING IN A PRIMARY AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP, WHEN WELD SPEAKS AT POLITICS IN EGGS IN BEDFORD. IT COULD MEAN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE, ALTHOUGH THAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN FOR CERTAIN. WMUR REPORTED LAST MONTH THAT WELD, THE FORMER LIBERTARIAN NOMINEE FOR VICE PRESIDENT, WAS CONSIDERING

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WMUR confirmed Friday morning that Republican former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld will announce an exploratory committee to pursue the possibility of challenging President Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination.Weld was set to announce the longshot bid at a Politics and Eggs breakfast at about 8:30 a.m.(This story continues below.)(Our earlier report, published Thursday evening follows.)Republican former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld is expected to announce the establishment of an exploratory committee for a presidential candidacy during his scheduled speech Friday at the Bedford Village Inn.WMUR reported on Wednesday that Weld will make a substantial move toward a challenge to President Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination. See our earlier report below.Sources told WMUR Thursday that the substantial move is expected to be an exploratory committee.Weld will speak at a traditional "Politics and Eggs" breakfast, a must-stop for presidential candidates, before students and business and political leaders.(Our earlier report, which was published Wednesday afternoon, follows.) Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld will make a substantial move toward a challenge to President Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination when he speaks in Bedford this week, sources said Wednesday.Weld has been considering a presidential bid for at least several weeks and said last month that he would announce his plans at a Politics and Egg breakfast on Feb. 15 at the Bedford Village Inn.GOP sources told WMUR that the former governor will make what was described as a substantial step, or a substantial move, toward a candidacy. Such a step could be the establishment of an exploratory committee, although that remains to be seen for certain.Friday’s appearance will be the first of two for Weld in the Granite State in an 11-day period. As WMUR reported, Weld on Feb. 26 will speak to students at New England College. Weld, 73, who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1991-1997, was the Libertarian vice presidential nominee in the 2016 election, running with presidential nominee Gary Johnson, a former New Mexico governor. Weld criticized Trump regularly on the campaign trail, while withholding criticism of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.More details on Weld’s political history and his comments about his plans can be found in WMUR’s earlier report here.Weld recently changed his party registration in Canton, Massachusetts back to Republican, according to The Associated Press.Republican former Ohio Gov. John Kasich has not ruled out a nomination challenge to the sitting president, but his recent sign-on with CNN as a political commentator has some political observers speculating that the move means he will not run.Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake has taken himself out of contention.State Republican Party Chair Steve Stepanek, who was a Trump campaign co-chair in New Hampshire in the 2016 campaign, told WMUR in January, “Bill Weld ran as a Libertarian candidate for vice president. He’s a Libertarian and if he wants to run for president as a Libertarian, that’s fine. But we don’t want him back in the Republican Party.”“He can’t switch political parties back and forth for his own political purposes.”Stepanek said Wednesday he will wait to hear Weld’s announcement before commenting further.If Weld runs, he would provide so-called "never-Trump" Republicans an outlet to express their dissatifaction with the president. But he would clearly be viewed as an extreme longshot for the presidential nomination.Still, history shows that sitting presidents who have faced serious primary challenges -- including strong showings from those challengers in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary -- have not fared well in general elections.