LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — After his exit from the Republican race, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson believes that Americans are not interested a rematch between Donald Trump and Pres. Joe Biden in 2024.
Hutchinson sat down with us two days after endorsing Nikki Haley to be the Republican Party's nominee for president to discuss not only his campaign exit but his thoughts on the current race and the potential of Trump facing off with Biden again.
Although he is confident in Haley's abilities to combat Trump's rhetoric, Hutchinson said she will have to perform well in New Hampshire to stay in the race.
"They key is probably keeping Donald Trump down below 50%," Hutchinson said. "And if that happens then Nikki Haley ought to stay in the race and compete when it comes to Super Tuesday."
But if Haley can't muster up enough support there, Hutchinson said there will be a lot of pressure on her to drop out.
For the former governor, he believes that "character still counts" when it comes to the White House and being president. That's where he disagrees with Trump as the leader of the Republican Party.
"I don't want someone motivated by revenge, I don't want someone that believes name calling is the routine of public service," he said.
Hutchinson said that beyond Trump's personality he also has differences on policy, noting that the former president will likely enact tariffs on other countries like he did in 2018. Hutchinson said those tariff wars will "punish our consumers."
"But the big challenge is the fact that [Trump] continues to mislead," Hutchinson continued. "And whenever he says that January 6 was a patriotic act in our country and denies the fact that it was an attack on our police, attack on our rule of law. This is not the leadership that we need."
If Trump becomes the GOP nomination, Hutchinson believes that most Americans will not be interested in a rematch of the 2020 race between Trump and Biden. He said that if younger voters are faced with that choice, they will likely "stay home" and reiterated the parties "need to give them better opportunities and choices."
"The American public are clear, they don't want that rematch," he said. "What are the two political parties going to give the American public and right now they're the two front runners. And so it really speaks poorly of the two major political parties that we're giving America what they don't want."
A poll conducted near the end of 2023 said the 56% of adults would be either very or somewhere "dissatisfied" with Biden as the Democratic nomination and 58% would feel the same way with Trump as the GOP nomination.
Hutchinson said he is "all in" for Haley, saying she is the "best option that we have for our country right now."