Republican Asa Hutchinson to run for US president in 2024, urges Trump to go
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Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson said he would make his formal announcement later in April, but has decided to run.
PHOTO: AFP
WASHINGTON - Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson announced his 2024 United States presidential candidacy on Sunday with a proclamation that set him apart from other current or potential Republican candidates: Former president Donald Trump should step aside from the race.
In an interview with television network ABC’s This Week, Mr Hutchinson urged Trump, who launched his candidacy in November 2022, to drop out of the race, following the former president’s indictment on Thursday in New York after an investigation into hush money payments to a porn star.
“I mean, first of all, the office is more important than any individual person. And so, for the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that’s too much of a sideshow and distraction, and he needs to be able to concentrate on his due process and there is a presumption of innocence,” Mr Hutchinson said.
Mr Hutchinson was governor of the southern state from 2015 to early 2023 after earlier serving in the US House of Representatives. He said he would make his formal announcement in Arkansas later in April, but has decided to run.
“I have made a decision, and my decision is, I’m going to run for president of the United States,” he said. “I’m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America, and not simply appeal to our worst instincts.”
Democratic President Joe Biden is expected to seek re-election in 2024.
Mr Hutchinson has criticised Trump in the past. He made clear on Sunday that he would not shrink, as a candidate, from confronting Trump, who remains popular among many Republicans despite becoming the first former president to be indicted.
“I think it’s a sad day for America that we have a former president that’s indicted,” Mr Hutchinson said.
Asked whether Trump should step aside, he said: “Well, he should, but at the same time, we know he’s not.”
Other Republicans who have launched campaigns for the party’s 2024 nomination include former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and activist investor Vivek Ramaswamy. Former vice-president Mike Pence and current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are also considered as possible candidates. REUTERS
