on october 26, 2019, it was reported that while speaking at tufts university, weld suggested that trump might not even appear on the 2020 ballot. weld noted that choosing a secret vote about impeachment is an option available to the senate, and that former senator jeff flake suggested that a secret vote in the process could shield senators effectively from adverse political reactions by the "trump base", thereby freeing them to vote for conviction. weld estimated that under those circumstances, 30 to 35 votes to convict would be attained easily and that only 20 are needed.