WASHINGTON — Rep. Seth Moulton, a newly announced 2020 presidential candidate and House Democrat, said Monday if he were president during an alien invasion, he would start with diplomacy by giving the extraterrestrial visitors a “classic American meal,” like a beer and a burger.
“I would not build a wall between here and Mars,” Moulton, who bears some resemblance to the president in Independence Day, answered when asked about what his first steps would be during an invasion on BuzzFeed News’ AM to DM. “I would not do that. No, you got to start — and this is serious, guys — you got to start with diplomacy. You always have to start with diplomacy.”
New 2020 candidate (and Bill Pullman lookalike?) @sethmoulton on what he would do if he were president during an alien invasion: "You gotta start with diplomacy." 👽
He cited Gen. James Mattis, who was his division commander when Moulton served in the Marines. “And he said, he said, look: If you cut the State Department budget, then you have to buy me more bullets.”
Attempting a joke, he said, “If the meeting goes well, then that’s all good. If the meeting starts to not go so well, then, by the way, that burger is— that’s the last aliens who visited.”
Moulton was also asked about Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s proposal to eliminate student debt for millions of Americans, which she announced Monday morning. “I think it’s a wonderful goal … but I would start someplace different. I would start by making sure that every American kid actually gets through high school,” Moulton said.
He also bashed the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s controversial new policy that says it will no longer work with consultants who are also working with challengers to incumbents. “We need to allow everybody to be a part of this debate. And frankly, Americans want people who are willing to challenge the establishment,” Moulton, who beat out an incumbent to win his current seat in Congress, said.
By jumping in the race, Moulton joined a broad field of Democratic candidates, where candidates will have to answer how they are different from all the other Democrats in the primary. Moulton is among several veterans and members of Congress to get in the primary. He is the second member of the Massachusetts delegation to jump in the race, and the second candidate who previously called to oust Nancy Pelosi as House Democrats’ leader.
Moulton built much of his reputation by being critical of Democratic leadership, to the ire of top Democrats’ in the House.
“I give Speaker Pelosi great credit for the way she’s standing up to Trump,” Moulton said Monday morning. “And we need that, but we also need leaders that folks will look to across America and say, That’s the future of our party, that’s the future of our country.”