Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld is a long shot to beat President Trump for the Republican nomination, but he’d certainly make things interesting.

Weld, who was the Libertarian Party vice presidential candidate in 2016, is launching a presidential exploratory committee to challenge President Trump in the Republican primary. He has been a harsh critic of the president, saying last week at a New Hampshire political event that Trump is “simply too unstable to carry out the duties of the highest executive office — which include the specific duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed — in a competent and professional matter.”

He also lashed out at fellow Republicans for supporting Trump, saying “many Republicans exhibit all the symptoms of Stockholm syndrome, identifying with their captor.”

Weld, who just last month switched party affiliation to become a Republican once again, is obviously happy to upset the apple cart. And that is quintessential Bill Weld, a Republican governor who often transcended the party label and gained the support of many Democrats.

He has certainly alienated many of his fellow Republicans with this latest move. MassGOP Chairman Jim Lyons put out a withering statement Friday. “Weld is the same ex-Republican who deserted Massachusetts for New York; who endorsed President Barack Obama over Senator John McCain for President; who renounced the GOP for the Libertarian Party; who ran against the Trump-Pence Republican ticket in 2016, while cozying up to Democrat Hillary Clinton,” the recently elected Massachusetts Republican Party chairman said. “After abandoning Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians, Weld demands that faithful Republicans consider him as their standard-bearer. Even Benedict Arnold switched allegiances less often!”

With ringing endorsements like that racking up around the country and the region, it is hard to see a path to the nomination for the former governor, but he doesn’t seem about to let that stop him, nor should he. The 73-year-old would undoubtedly bring a level of fun and vibrancy to the race, and his wit and disciplined approach to the issues would allow for lively, robust debates with President Trump.

It could even benefit the incumbent president to go through a primary season having to explain his platform, defend his first-term record and outline a clear vision for the future. Incumbents often go into the general election rusty from their time away from the campaign trail, and President Trump certainly excelled through a grueling primary process in 2016. With so much media focus on the crowded Democratic primaries, the chance for Trump to get onstage and make his case to the American people live for a whole year before the election can only help him.

No politician is ever guaranteed a clear path to re-election in the United States, and Bill Weld is entitled to throw his hat into the ring. Whether he can actually mount a viable challenge to an incumbent president who is popular with his party is still an open question, but we should all welcome his willingness to offer the voters an alternative if he truly believes they need one.

In his announcement, Weld decried the current “culture of divisiveness” in our politics, so we encourage him to run a respectful race that does not contribute to it further. Ideally, Weld will wage a productive, issues-based campaign for the Republican nomination in 2020 without drawing the contest into the gutter and intentionally trying to inflict fatal political damage on the president before the general election.