Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the Republican Party needs alternatives to former President Donald Trump, who he characterized as leading with “arrogance and revenge.”
Anchor Dana Bash said, “So you think more voices speaking out against Trump is the right way to go? Are you going to run?”
Hutchinson said, “March is a message month. I want to continue to talk about having a consistent conservative message out there. We need to have all alternatives again to Donald Trump. We don’t need to be led by arrogance and revenge in the future. We need to be led by those that are problem-solving. They want to stick with the principles of our party and unite us together. And so that’s the message in March. April is a decision time. So we will stick with that plan.”
Bash said, “I just want to ask you: What you just said was interesting. That you disagree with Larry Hogan on the notion of too many people being out there actually helps Donald Trump. Why is he wrong? That’s exactly how Donald Trump became the nominee in 2016. He had so many people running against him, they split the vote, and he ran away with it.”
Hutchinson said, “That’s right. and we get this question a lot, from donors and others, you know, how can we avoid that? Well, this is not 2016. Donald Trump is a known quantity. He makes his message of revenge clear. And it’s different. For example, the evangelical community is going to be a key part of the race in 2024, both primary and general election. They were key in ’16, but they are convinced that we need to have a different type of leadership in the future. It should not be someone that’s going to appeal to the worst instincts of our country.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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