Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.) reiterated on Sunday that he preferred a different GOP presidential candidate in 2024 who was not former President Trump, telling ABC’s “This Week” that Jan. 6 should disqualify Trump from holding office again.
“I do not believe that Donald Trump should be the next president of the United States,” Hutchinson said. “I think he’s had his opportunity there. I think Jan. 6 really disqualifies him for the future.”
Hutchinson went further, saying he’d do everything in his power to make sure that there is an alternative GOP nominee for the 2024 presidential race.
“I want to see everything I can do to make sure there is the alternative, and that Donald Trump is not the not the nominee of the party. That’s the first thing. And let’s figure out how to do that,” Hutchinson said.
But Hutchinson also acknowledged that Trump is polling well and still considered to be the front-runner for the party’s nomination.
“I think you have to start him out as the front-runner simply because he’s polling that well. He’s the former president,” Hutchinson said.
The Arkansas governor, who won’t confirm if he is running for president in 2024 himself, also said Trump’s campaign so far has been relatively quiet despite “chaos” that has surrounded Trump in the past, which could give other candidates a chance.
“It’s an opportunity for other voices to rise, that are going to be problem-solving, common sense conservatives,” Hutchinson said.
“You need to simply have a message that’s authentic to yourself, a message that is problem solving, and say, ‘this is what we need to do as a country.’ And that, to me, is the right contrast.”