Rep. Seth Moulton, who served several tours in Iraq as a Marine, signaled that national security would be a cornerstone of his potential presidential candidacy. | Cheryl Senter/AP Photo 2020 Elections Moulton to decide on presidential bid in ‘next few weeks’

Rep. Seth Moulton will decide "in the next few weeks" if he will run for president in 2020, he said Sunday.

"Liz and I, my wife, are talking about this. It's a family decision. It's something that we have to commit to together," the Massachusetts Democrat said on CNN's "State of the Union." "Ultimately, Liz and I are going to are going to talk about this. We're going to decide in the next few weeks."


Moulton, who just wrapped up a trip to Iowa, said he's "been talking to a lot of veterans especially, starting with veterans and students, and trying to understand what they want to see in the next commander in chief."

The 40-year-old lawmaker said the next president must be "someone who can make sure that every American has a job in the new economy, not the old, someone who can work hard to ensure that every American has access to health care, and we get weapons of war off our streets, and, fundamentally, a commander in chief who you might not agree with but you can trust. That's what this election is going to be about: jobs, security and trust."

Moulton, who served several tours in Iraq as a Marine, signaled that national security would be a cornerstone of his candidacy, which would be a long shot in an already crowded primary field.

National security "is not just about preventing Russia from invading us with tanks into Western Europe, which is what a lot of people seem to be focused on. Russia is trying to hack our elections. And Robert Mueller was clear about that. China is attacking us through the internet every single day and stealing our business ideas and our military — that's where a lot of American jobs are going."

He derided President Donald Trump's goal of building a "fifth century ridiculous border wall on the southern border," saying the focus should be on "a cyber-wall that will stop Russia and China from interfering in our business.”

Moulton, who opposed Nancy Pelosi's bid to become speaker, praised her performance through the recent government shutdown.

"I do think she's done a good job," he said.